Getty Amon-Ra St. Brown celebrates his game-winning score against the Vikings in 2021.
The Detroit Lions have a solid rookie class, and one of the players who hasn’t cashed in and made a huge impact was wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Detroit’s rookie wide receiver had flashed potential at times most of the year, but had been shut out of the end zone until the late stages of Week 13 against the Minnesota Vikings. With 9 catches under his belt already, number 10 couldn’t come soon enough for St. Brown as the game-winning play developed, especially considering how open the play ended up being for the team.
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Speaking to the media after the game on December 5, St. Brown described the moment that he realized he was set to cash in his first touchdown of his career. As he said, he felt as if he was so wide open that the ball couldn’t get to him fast enough.
.@amonra_stbrown on what was going through his mind on the game-winning TD
“The biggest thing for me was make sure I am in the end zone when I catch it. As I broke in, I was wide open, I was like ‘no way.’ So I was looking at Jared (Goff) like ‘oh, please just throw it.’ The ball was in the air an I was like ‘this can’t take any longer,’ St. Brown told the media. “I know the defensive back is coming from behind. So I was just sitting there waiting. I couldn’t attack it because I didn’t want to get bak into the field of play. I wanted to stay in the end zone. Once I caught it, I knew the game was over but I didn’t know it was over-over, like walk-off over.I looked back and I saw coach Campbell walking across the field and I was like wow, it’s over-over, we don’t even have to kick the PAT. It was nice to get a win like that.”
On the day, St. Brown hauled in 10 passes for 86 yards and was easily the most dangerous player on the field offensively for Detroit, who has been challenged to find touchdowns this season. The fact they ended up striking gold and the fact the play worked so well seemed to come as a surprise to even St. Brown.
Jared Goff: St. Brown a ‘Stud’
One person not shocked by St. Brown getting into the end zone was quarterback Jared Goff. As Goff told media after the game, the wideout has been coming along well and developing. As a result, he had no qualms about being able to target the rookie in a key moment of a game with the most important pass of the day.
“He’s a stud and will be a stud for as long as he wants in this league,” Goff said. “He’s been on our mind and I’m sure Dan (Campbell) would say it too. It’s been like ‘try and get him the ball’ for the last six weeks now. I think today, he showed up, right? Just trying to get him involved and get him the ball in space and what he can do with the ball, I’m sure he jumped over someone on the sidelines there early on in the game. He’s a freak and he can do some things.”
Goff would know being he is the one tasked with getting St. Brown the ball, and he’s been around a ton of great wideouts in his time. For him to proclaim the youngster a stud at this point is high praise, indeed.
St. Brown Developing Steadily for Lions
So far this season, St. Brown hasn’t put up huge numbers at all. The 86 yards was a season-high for the receiver, and through Week 13, St. Brown only has 438 yards and 1 touchdown to his credit. Still, it’s significant to see the young receiver getting better and better as the season has worn on. The Lions haven’t necessarily targeted St. Brown consistently this year, so it’s remarkable that he is producing as well as he is at this point in time in his rookie season in the league.
After being boosted by this play, it will be fascinating to see how well St. Brown can continue his development for the future.
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Amon-Ra St. Brown Surprised to Be ‘Wide Open’ for Game Winner