The Detroit Lions offense continues to impress, closing out the season with a 31-9 victory over their division rival Minnesota Vikings in Week 18. In doing so, they secured the top seed in the NFC, along with a first-round bye in the playoffs. Yet despite all the success, wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown couldn’t help himself from taking a little jab at Pittsburgh Steelers’ receiver George Pickens.
Pickens took an unprovoked shot at St. Brown earlier in the season, calling the All-Pro a “slot merchant” who has only found success in the league because the Lions’ scheme feeds him the ball. While that notion is ridiculous, St. Brown decided to embrace it by releasing Slot Merchant apparel for sale on his website, according to Bleacher Report.
So, fans can now show support for the Lions' wideout – or stick it to the Steelers’ receiver – by purchasing St. Brown’s line of Slot Merchant gear that includes T-shirts and hoodies at the moment.
The idea that St. Brown is nothing more than a product of the Lions’ offensive system is absurd. The three-time Pro Bowler just turned in his third straight 100+ reception, 1,000+ receiving yard season, finishing 2024 with 115 catches for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns. Last year he went for 119/1,515/10.
The Lions are rolling and Amon-Ra St. Brown is trolling
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Let’s compare those numbers to what Pickens has managed in his career with Pittsburgh. This season, the third-year wideout produced 59 grabs for 900 yards and three scores. He had his best season last year with 63 receptions for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns. All were career highs.
Even worse, the Steelers limped into the playoffs with four straight losses and Pickens’ brutal performance in Week 18 cost the team. He dropped three passes on the night and finished with one catch on six targets for zero yards. Not exactly a clutch performance.
While running back Jahmyr Gibbs did the heavy lifting for the Lions in the season finale, scoring four touchdowns in the game and setting the franchise single season TD record, St. Brown continued to be a reliable contributor, corralling six receptions on seven targets for 77 yards.
The Lions finished the season strong winning three straight games and 14 of the last 15. With the win. Detroit clinched the NFC North, the first seed and a bye. It’s the Lions’ second straight division title but the team improved over last season, finishing the 2024 campaign with a 15-2 record, compared to last year’s 12-5 mark.
