Over his first two seasons, Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown totaled 11 touchdowns. In 2022 it wasn't really a question of involvement in the scoring area, with 21 red zone targets (tied for seventh-most among wide receivers), but as noted by fantasy analyst John Daigle there was some noticeable bad luck involved in him having just six touchdowns.
That touchdown correction indeed came in 2023, as the "Sun God" scored 10 times with just two more red zone targets compared to the previous season. But it was interesting that only five of those touchdowns came in the red zone, with one on the borderline (20 yards out). But nonetheless, the scoring boom came for the Lions' No. 1 receiver.
Overall in 2023, St. Brown tied for the sixth-most red zone targets in the league (the aforementioned 23), with tied for the second-most receptions (16) and the third-most receiving yards (107) in that area of the field.
Amon-Ra St. Brown turned it up a notch as a red zone maven in 2024
Last season, St. Brown set a new career-high and finished third in the league with 12 receiving touchdowns. In the red zone, as highlight by Sleeper, he was among the league leaders with 23 catches, 31 targets, 162 yards (actually 152) and nine touchdowns.
Pro Football Reference paints a slightly different picture about St. Brown in the red zone last season, but the overall point is the same.
- 31 targets: second in the league
- 23 receptions: first in the league
- 152 receiving yards: second in the league
- 9 touchdowns: third in the league
St. Brown, per PFR, also had the the third-highest share of his team's red zone targets last season (34.8 percent). In 2023, albeit with a higher mark, he tied for the sixth-highest share of his team's red zone targets (35.4 percent). In 2022, his share of the Lions' red zone targets was 24.4 percent.
After a 100-catch, 1,100-yard breakout in his second season, St. Brown needed to become a more proficient touchdown scorer to complete an evolution into one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Back-to-back double-digit touchdown seasons, with more seemingly to come, prove that evolution is complete.
