For the first time since Jan. 8, 1994, the Detroit Lions will have a home playoff game on Sunday night. The Lions are hoping their contest against the Los Angeles Rams will yield their first postseason victory since Jan. 5, 1992.

“It means a lot,” Detroit wide receiver Jameson Williams said. “Detroit, the city’s fighting for a lot. … Trying to get the first playoff win in the first playoff game, just trying to turn this city up to a whole ‘nother level. We just don’t want one playoff win, though. We’re trying to get more games and more wins. We’re trying to make it to the Super Bowl.”

Since the Lions defeated the Dallas Cowboys 38-6 at the Pontiac Silverdome in the Divisional Round of the playoffs for the 1991 season, Detroit has lost nine postseason games – most recently to the Seattle Seahawks 26-6 on Jan. 7, 2017.

“We’re not overpressured about the game or nothing,” Williams said. “We know what we got coming in. We know everything. We know the circumstances. We know what’s on the line and everything. We’re just trying, like I said multiple times, to make sure we can get a win this week so we can keep playing next week.”

The Lions posted a 12-5 record during the 2023 regular season to win the NFC North. The division title was the first for Detroit since 1993, when the Lions finished on top of the NFC Central.

While that was exciting for Detroit and earned the Lions a home game to open the NFC playoffs, Williams said he could tell a difference now that the postseason has arrived.

“It’s something you can feel around the facility,” Williams said. “It’s in the air. It’s different from the regular season. Everybody’s zero and zero no matter if you won 12 games, eight games, 10 games this year. You got to work to focus on getting that one win this week.”

In two seasons at Ohio State and one at Alabama, Williams played in three conference-championship game victories, went to the College Football Playoff every year and reached the national-title game twice.

“I think it’s just about players make plays,” Williams said of postseason football. “It comes down to it, it don’t matter who you go to, that player’s just got to make the play.

“Coming up and playing a lot of big games, it don’t faze me. It’s all the same. I’ve played in front of a hundred thousand. It’s millions watching on TV, so it don’t really matter. You just got to go out there and make a play. Don’t let the sunlight get too big.”

The Rams and Lions will square off at 7 p.m. CST Sunday at Ford Field in Detroit. NBC will televise the game.

The contest will mark the return of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford to Detroit. Stafford spent 12 seasons as the Lions’ QB before getting traded to Los Angeles in 2021 in a deal that brought quarterback Jared Goff to Detroit.

Stafford wore No. 9, the number on Williams’ jersey now.

“A lot of people still got Stafford jerseys and don’t got mine,” Williams said. “I encourage people to go get my jersey.”

Williams had 24 receptions for 354 yards and two touchdowns and three rushing attempts for 29 yards and one touchdown in his second NFL season. He missed the first four games while serving an NFL suspension for violating the league’s gambling rules and the regular-season finale last week because of an ankle injury.

“I had a great week of practice this week,” Williams said.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.