Lions WR Seeks to Get Past Drop, Continue Success against Buccaneers

After a disappointing loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday night, Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown isn’t panicking. 

St. Brown and the Lions haven't lost back-to-back games since Weeks 7 and 8 of the 2022 season. Subsequently, they need to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night to avoid their first losing streak in three years.

The All-Pro pass-catcher is confident that Detroit will get back on track in its primetime showdown with Tampa Bay.

“Yeah, I think for us, we just want to bounce back. You lose one, you drop a game in this league, it happens, it happens to the best teams. But, we feel like we’ve got a group of guys that are able to bounce back,” St. Brown told reporters Friday. “We feel as if we didn’t play our best game last Sunday. So, this is another week to get back on track, hopefully, and just do what we do: execute and take care of the ball, stay on schedule, finish in the red zone, stuff like that, stuff that we’ve been doing for a while here, trying to get back on track and hopefully we can do that this week.”

The Lions fell flat against Kansas City, missing opportunities to sustain drives and allowing the Chiefs to seize momentum at key points. 

One of those moments came when St. Brown, one of the NFL’s most sure-handed receivers, dropped a fourth-down pass near the end of the first half. The Chiefs capitalized, scoring before halftime and again to open the third quarter, effectively shifting the game’s momentum.

St. Brown, known for his steady hands and mental toughness, has already moved on from the crucial drop.

“I move on pretty quick during the game, just because you have to move on,” the All-Pro receiver said. “Stuff happens in a game, whether it’s a good play, bad play, you’ve got to be able to move on to the next play. So, within the flow of a game, you can’t let anything, you can never get too high or too low. 

“But, after the game, I was definitely pissed off, upset. But, you know, I’m not too worried about it because I feel like I’ve caught so many balls in my life that I’m going to catch the next one and hopefully it doesn’t happen again.”

The go-to receiver for Lions signal-caller Jared Goff has been nothing but productive through six games this season. 

St. Brown has hauled in 44 receptions for 452 yards and a league-leading six touchdowns, continuing to prove he’s one of the most reliable offensive weapons in football.

Against Tampa Bay, St. Brown has enjoyed plenty of success in the past. 

In two career regular season matchups, he’s recorded 23 catches for 243 yards and a touchdown. And in the Lions’ divisional-round playoff win over the Buccaneers during the 2023 season, he posted eight receptions for 77 yards and a score.

As the Lions prepare for another pivotal NFC matchup, St. Brown is leaning on the team’s maturity and resilience. 

“I just feel like we’ve changed since my first and second year, and we know what it looks like now to win and what it takes to win games, the preparation during the week, I mean, it’s a lot of stuff. It just doesn’t happen on gameday,” St. Brown expressed. “So, I feel like we have a group of guys that know what it takes to win and coaches that don’t want to drop two games in a row, either, especially Coach (Dan) Campbell. So, we’re trying to get back on track.”

St. Brown Defends Brian Branch After Chiefs Loss

St. Brown came to the defense of teammate Brian Branch this week after the safety faced criticism in a controversial NFL Films video posted following Detroit’s loss to Kansas City.

St. Brown voiced his frustration with the one-minute “Turning Point” video, which portrayed Branch in a negative light after the 30-17 defeat. 

"I thought that video was crazy. I don't know why it was released, the reasoning behind it," St. Brown said. "As I was watching, I remember it popped up and I was like, 'I don't know if it was like a trick or mockery.' I clicked the NFL, and I didn't know if it was actually them. And it was. So, I don't know the reasoning why they posted it or what they got out of that.”

The video drew attention to Branch’s mistakes and a postgame altercation with Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster that resulted in his one-game suspension.

On Friday, St. Brown stood firmly behind his teammate. 

“Brian Branch is an awesome dude,” St. Brown expressed. “In the building, he's one of the nicest dudes. He's quiet; you never see him really get mad. He's always smiling. He made a mistake and he knows it and he apologized, and I don't know why it's still getting dragged along, but I don't think that video was right."

Branch's suspension was upheld upon appeal Wednesday.