5 Lions Players to Watch against Packers in Week 18
There is a question Lions fans should be asking themselves as their team wraps up their 92nd season against the Green Bay Packers: Is the glass half empty or half full?
There is always two ways to see things. Some see another miserable year of disappointment brought on by a 2-13-1 record, but others will hang on to highlights, sprinkled in throughout the schedule, as a reason for hope.
Now, no matter how you look at it, there is a lot of work to be done going forward.
Four of the following five players to watch this week are first-year Lions. The other is a veteran holdover who has shown a lot of versatility. All of them will do their best to leave a lasting impression, as the team heads into the offseason.
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
December’s Offensive Rookie of the Month heads into this game with his eyes on a record. St. Brown needs only 15 yards to surpass Roy Williams’ club record for most receiving yards in a season by a rookie.
St. Brown has been tearing it up as of late, becoming the first rookie in NFL history to catch at least eight passes in five straight games.
Despite the ups-and-downs at the quarterback position this season, St. Brown, who was a fourth-round draft choice, has managed to emerge. He undoubtedly is one of those bright spots that optimistic fans will hold on to throughout the rest of the cold winter months.
RB Jamaal Williams
After spending four seasons playing in Green Bay, the Packers are no strangers to Williams. He has come to Detroit, and he's put up the third-best yards-per-carry average of his career (4.0 YPC).
Expect Williams to be chomping at the bit in this one to prove to the Packers they should have kept him around.
After a season of jockeying for the starting role with D’Andre Swift, Williams will also be looking to use this game to make the argument that he should be the featured back going forward.
Williams’ cap number makes a strong argument on his behalf. Williams goes from making $1,625,000, to $4,375,000 in 2022, according to Spotrac.com.
An impressive showing against his old team will only further build his case.
DT Levi Onwuzurike
34 tackles (15 solo) and one sack are not probably the numbers this second-round draft choice was envisioning. However, the transition from college ball to the NFL can take a little more time for some.
“He’s been up and down. He flashed. Man, he shows out, and the next play, it’s a learning experience. The next play, he shows out, and the next play, it’s learning,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell told 97.1 The Ticket earlier this week. “There’s just some inexperience there that he’s still having to get over, bumps in the road, which he will.”
Onwuzurike had three assists last week against Seattle and zero solo tackles. This week, he looks to bounce back and end the season strong.
He has been a disappointment to some. But, to Campbell, the rookie is a work in progress.
Quinn Harris, USA TODAY Sports
CB Will Harris
That’s right, cornerback. Out of necessity, that is where he is penciled in. Harris started the season at safety, and has also played some nickel. While he has taken his lumps, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has voiced his appreciation.
"Will Harris has a lot of value, as far as a player just in general, because he’s played every position in the back end that you can imagine,” Glenn told reporters earlier this week. "I had a guy like this named P.J. Williams with the Saints, and he was just like Will. Actually, he wasn’t as good of an athlete as Will, but the one thing that he was, he was very smart. At the drop of a hat, we can put him in that position that he didn’t get a lot of reps in that week. And, you see Will doing the same thing."
Look for Harris to continue to try to carve out this new role for himself this week. However, with the news of Packers QB Aaron Rodgers starting, Harris’ ability to play corner will be severely tested.
OLB Charles Harris
Harris landed in Detroit on a one-year, prove-it deal this past offseason, and boy, has he ever proved it.
Harris has put up 63 tackles, two forced fumbles and a team-leading 7.5 sacks.
Now, Harris will look to send one last message to management, prior to the beginning of free agency.
