The Detroit Lions were able to pull off a victory over the Los Angeles Rams despite struggles to get the ball to one of their top playmakers.
All-Pro wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown had three catches for 13 yards in the opener, numbers that are far below his typical standard of performance. Despite the lackluster showing, he was undeterred, and remains focused on moving forward while ultimately celebrating the win.
“A win is a win, a win is the most important thing for us to get to where we need to go," St. Brown said. "One week at a time. Obviously, you’d love to have the catches and whatnot, but we found a way to win. Obviously, as an offense, we have a bunch of areas to improve, everywhere. And we know that first week, I feel like it’s the toughest week for an offense just to get everything down. It was a tough game, a win’s a win. Nobody wants to go to overtime, but we ended up coming out on top. O-line played amazing toward the end, all game really. (Running back David Montgomery) 'D-Mo' put the team on his back.”
St. Brown noted that many of the looks presented by the Rams' secondary were familiar, but he drew some extra attention at times. Additionally, some favorable matchups the Lions had were negated by errors.
“They weren’t doing anything too much, a little bit of cloud sometimes. But they were throwing a lot of different looks, different coverages on defense. Some plays that we wanted to get to, we didn’t have the right look or we had a false start. Some of these little things that happened throughout the game, just kind of unlucky. It was just one of those games. But a win’s a win, we’re happy, but we know as an offense we can do much better.”
Ahead of a Divisional Round rematch against Tampa Bay, the Lions' locker room continues to remain confident in the talented wideout. Offensive coordinator and play-caller Ben Johnson didn't hesitate to praise St. Brown for his continued effort, even when the ball wasn't coming his way.
“He just wants to win," Johnson said. "I’ve been around some guys, particularly at that position in the past that when they have a game that was below what they wanted it to be, they could pout, they could do this, that or the other, but immediately after the game, I don’t know if anybody had a bigger smile on his face than him. That’s what comes with wearing that C (captain) on his chest and he’s a great example of what we want everybody on offense to be about. Unselfish and he was happy that (Jameson Williams) Jamo had the game that he had because he knows it’s going to open up more opportunities for him down the road.”
Quarterback Jared Goff shared that sentiment, noting an understanding that St. Brown ultimately places team success above his own personal achievements.
“Yeah, he’s a leader, he’s a captain," Goff said. "He’s got the C (captain) on his chest for a reason, and I think – I know he still wants the ball, of course he does, all those receivers want the ball, but I think he understands, when we’re able to win a game and he doesn’t get as involved as maybe he’d like, he’s good with it. We’re winning the game and we’re trying to win a Super Bowl this year. It’s one week at a time and he knows that and, like I said, he’ll get his and he also knows that.”
Inside the play: Game-saving deflection
St. Brown made a critical play during the Lions' final drive in regulation. Though it won't be seen in the box score, his deflection of an errant Jared Goff pass kept the ball from going into the hands of Rams defender Quentin Lake.
The wideout slipped on his release when running a slant route. With the play designed to go to him, St. Brown looked up to see the ball coming his direction. With no chance to catch it, he turned into a defender with instincts to deflect the ball away.
When reviewing the play on film, St. Brown admitted he didn't realize how close the ball ultimately came to what would've been a game-ending interception.
“I ran the slant, he kind of pressed up last minute, I wasn’t ready for him," St. Brown explained. "He pushed me off balance and I slipped. I knew that play was for me, and as I was slipping, I was hoping Jared wasn’t gonna throw it. I looked up and he had thrown it, I’m like, ‘Oh, (expletive).’ So the last thing I could do was knock it down or try to catch it. I couldn’t catch it because one hand was on the ground, so I was like, ‘I’ll just knock it down.’”
