Jameson Williams’ latest celebration sparked controversy in a night full of missed chances and frustration for the Detroit Lions against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football
23:46 ET, 16 Nov 2025Updated 23:47 ET, 16 Nov 2025
Williams was flagged for his celebration against the Eagles
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Williams was flagged for his celebration against the Eagles(Image: Getty)
Jameson Williams’ speed gave the Detroit Lions their biggest spark of the night. His celebration helped take that spark right back.
In a defensive slugfest that ended with the Eagles grinding out a 16–9 win on Sunday Night Football, Williams delivered Detroit’s lone touchdown, a 40-yard burst past Adoree’ Jackson that briefly woke up an offense smothered all evening. But the moment didn’t last long.
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After crossing the goal line, Williams, who fell into a similar situation after an 'obscene gesture' last season, sprinted through the back of the end zone and leaped onto the goalpost stanchion, hugging it in a move reminiscent of Antonio Brown’s infamous celebration.
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Officials hit him with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty immediately. On a windy night with gusts topping 30 mph, the 15-yard setback turned a routine extra-point attempt into a long try. Jake Bates pushed it wide.
Instead of going up in the game 7–6, Detroit remained tied, and in a matchup where both defenses dominated, that missed point loomed large.
The Lions spent most of the night fighting uphill. Jared Goff never looked settled behind a collapsing pocket, finishing with just 14 completed passes on 37 attempts.
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Detroit’s banged-up secondary, missing three starters, hung in admirably but had little margin for error as Philadelphia leaned on Jalen Hurts’ scrambles and a barrage of Jake Elliott field goals.
Williams’ miscue didn’t lose the game by itself, but it fit into a pattern of self-inflicted wounds that defined the Lions’ 16–9 loss. Earlier, he dropped a fourth-down pass over the middle with nothing but space ahead.
The Lions failed on multiple fourth-down tries, including a blown fake punt and a stuffed Jahmyr Gibbs direct snap.
The Lions are now 6-4 on the season
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The Lions are now 6-4 on the season(Image: Getty)
Even when Campbell’s offense reached scoring range, drives stalled, and the Eagles’ front, led by Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Jaelan Phillips, repeatedly overwhelmed the line of scrimmage.
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What made the celebration penalty sting even more was the context: Detroit finally had momentum. Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown on a rope, then Williams torched the secondary.
The Lions had weathered early turnovers, early pressure and early stops. They finally had their breakthrough, until the flag wiped away their chance to even things and changed the tone of the night.
Defensively, Detroit played well enough to win. Rock Ya-Sin’s coverage on A.J. Brown was tight all night, though a late-pass interference call helped Philadelphia bleed the remaining clock. The Lions, after cutting the deficit to 16–9 on a 54-yard Bates field goal with 1:58 left, never saw the ball again.