Jameson Williams came through when the Lions needed it most.
The former Alabama wideout delivered the decisive blow Sunday at Ford Field, slipping free toward the back-left corner of the end zone and catching a 7-yard touchdown from Jared Goff with 4:35 remaining to put Detroit ahead for good in a 19-15 win over the previously unbeaten Minnesota Vikings.
That score was Williams’ fifth touchdown catch of the season, and it ended up standing as the difference in a game that snapped Minnesota’s perfect start. The Vikings dropped to 6-1, while Detroit moved to 5-2 and pulled within one game of the NFC North lead.
Williams made the play on first-and-goal, with Goff finding him against a Vikings secondary that couldn’t recover in time. It was the kind of late-game connection Detroit has been waiting to lean on, and Williams was right in the middle of it.
He finished with four catches for 70 yards, showing both the finishing touch and the downfield burst that make him such a dangerous target. One of those grabs went for 46 yards, a reminder that he can change the field in a hurry.
For Williams, it was another strong outing in a season where he now has 27 receptions. For the Lions, it was a division win that kept them squarely in the race, and for Minnesota, it was the first loss of the year - delivered by a former Alabama playmaker who made the biggest catch of the afternoon.
In Other News...
Alabama Dismissal Takes Another Turn After DBs Cryptic Response
Alabamas secondary took another hit when third-year defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. was dismissed from the football program following his arrest on misdemeanor charges related to harassing a police officer. Kalen DeBoer said Kirkpatrick did not meet the teams standards and expectations, a blunt end to a situation that had already put the player on thin ice after an earlier arrest led to a suspension in 2025.
The latest turn came after Kirkpatrick was suspended again following the October 2026 incident, leaving Alabama to move on without a veteran defensive back who had already been through the programs disciplinary process once before. For a defense that has had to manage more than its share of off-field distractions, the dismissal closes one chapter but also underscores how quickly the Tide had to reset around a situation that kept escalating. [Read more 🡒]
Philip Rivers Could Leave Alabama For A Job That Changes Two Programs
Philip Rivers has settled into a coaching life in Alabama, where he is leading St. Michael Catholic High School and coaching his son, Gunner Rivers, a committed NC State quarterback. But the former NFL quarterback and longtime NC State standout has now surfaced as a leading candidate to take over the Wolfpack program after Dave Doeren was fired, a development that instantly links his current Alabama stop with the school where he built his own college legacy.
The possibility carries obvious weight for both programs, especially with Rivers already having shown respect for NC State and having previously interviewed for an NFL head coaching job. For Alabama fans following his next move, the intrigue is less about whether Rivers has the name recognition and more about how a return to Raleigh would reshape his coaching path and the future around his son. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Defense Is Betting On One Edge Against LSU
Alabamas pass rush has been a work in progress, but the defense has still found a way to tilt games by making quarterbacks uncomfortable and forcing mistakes. The numbers tell the story: the Tide are near the bottom of the SEC in tackles-for-loss and sacks, with no one beyond Fatutoa Henrys 5.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks, yet Kane Wommack has kept stressing that disruption matters most when it turns into turnovers.
That approach is what Alabama will lean on against LSU and quarterback Sam Leavitt, who has already thrown eight interceptions in six games. The Tide lead the SEC in interceptions, tied with Kentucky, and Wommacks hope is that pressure, even when it does not show up in the box score as a sack, can still create the kind of takeaway opportunity Alabama has been banking on. [Read more 🡒]