After two games inside the friendly confines of Ford Field, the Detroit Lions are hitting the road for the first time in 2024.
The Lions are coming off a defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. For wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, the trip to Glendale, Arizona to take on the Cardinals comes at an ideal time as the group looks to bounce back.
"I think this is the perfect time for us to go on the road," St. Brown said. "We kind of fell short last week at home. You hate to lose any game at home, you've got to protect home turf. First away game, everyone's traveling together, being together for most of the day Saturday and then game is early Sunday. To win on the road is always big, but first road game for us is gonna be a good test. Good team in Arizona, it's gonna be hot, I'm sure the fans are gonna be rocking."
The Lions have set a standard built around bouncing back from adversity. A year ago, the team suffered a tough loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2 that left many wondering if the team was built to handle the hype it had been given.
They responded emphatically, en route to an eventual NFC North division championship and appearance in the NFC title game. Now, in 2024, the Lions have a similar opportunity.
Ahead of a showdown with Arizona, St. Brown noted the team's mentality and desire to once again show the resolve that has been trademarked in the Dan Campbell era.
"Last year, I don't think we lost two games in a row ever," St. Brown said. "We kind of prided ourselves on that. Have a bad game, come back, bounce back, be better than we were before. That's kind of the guys we have in this locker room, the coaches, the culture we've built. We don't want to lean on the bad too much. Obviously we watched the tape and all that, but it's a new week this week."
A big part of the Lions' ultimate collapse in Week 2 were the struggles in the red zone. For an offense that has been notoriously good in this area, scoring one touchdown on seven trips inside the opposing 20-yard line made for an intriguing talking point.
However, St. Brown didn't feel poorly or question the team's overall effort. Instead, the team is committed to righting the wrongs in that area of the game in the upcoming week.
"Not really, no. I think we were pretty consistent in everything besides the red zone," St. Brown said. "Obviously, that kind of stood out for us, but I feel like if we get back to what we know and what we do once we get down into the red zone, we'll be just fine."
The team is optimistic about this as a whole, as Jameson Williams shared the same mindset regarding the red zone struggles.
"We've got to finish those drives. That's all," Williams said. "We've just got to finish those drives. We got down there seven times, went 1-for-7. We've just got to finish. We're good for it, it was just a little bumpy last week."
Bouncing back will be the key for the Lions moving forward. The mentality that has been a staple since Campbell took over does not appear to be wavering. With a Cardinals team coming off a big win awaiting them, the Lions have continued to remain steadfast in their pursuit of lofty goals despite last week's setback.
"You want to be the best, you strive to be the best every year, every week," St. Brown explained. "This league, it's tough. Each week is different, each year is different. But we're not gonna let last week change our mentality about anything. We know the guys that we have in our room, it's pretty much the same, a lot of the same offense that we had last year. We've got a bunch of guys that can make plays and score points, so we're not too worried."
