4. More opportunities for Williams
Offensive coordinator John Morton said he must do a better job of finding ways to get wide receiver Jameson Williams the football more. Williams has 17 receptions for 289 yards and two touchdowns this season and has caught more than two passes in a game only twice.
“There has been opportunities where it just didn’t happen,” Morton said. “It’s not like we aren’t going to try to target him. So, that was the biggest thing. So, I looked at everything, and I failed him. That’s what I told him. I have to do a better job with that.”
Expect the Lions to try to find ways to get Williams the ball moving forward and to take a shot here and there when they see single coverage on Williams, which isn’t often.
5. First time facing McCarthy
The Vikings spent a first-round pick on former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy last offseason but a knee injury suffered in the preseason prevented him from playing his rookie year. Fast forward a year and the Lions get their first look at McCarthy, who the Vikings are hoping is their quarterback for the next decade or so.
“You turn on that Week 1 game and they were getting stymied in the first half. And they came out in the second half and then the way he put that team on his back, he put that offense on his back and you saw how the guys galvanized around him,” Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said of McCarthy this week.
“He’s a physical quarterback – I don’t think he gets enough credit for that. I believe he’s a tremendous running threat. That’s something that we have to be prepared for. And then he has the moxie, I see it.”
McCarthy hasn’t played since a Week 2 loss vs. Atlanta because of a high-ankle sprain suffered in that contest. Will there be any rust the defense can try and take advantage of today?