Amon-Ra St. Brown and the Detroit Lions are a perfect fit.
St. Brown, picked in the fourth round of the 2021 draft, has transformed into one of the NFL’s top receivers because to hard effort, determination, and a lot of additional time with the JUGS machine after practice.
He’s shown steady progress since joining the Lions, most notably upping his statistical production each season.
The USC product improved from a 90-catch, 912-yard receiver as a rookie to 106-catch, 1,161-yard pass receiver in his sophomore season. In his third season as a pro, he set a career high with 119 receptions and 1,515 yards. Last season, St. Brown scored double-digit touchdowns for the first time in his career (10), earning him first-team All-Pro accolades.
Along the way, he’s been a key figure in the Lions’ rebirth, spearheading their dramatic ascension to Super Bowl candidates.
He’ll start his fourth season as a pro on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, a familiar opponent for St. Brown and Detroit. Last year’s wild-card round saw St. Brown & Co. defeat the Rams 24–23. The Pro Bowl wide receiver had a monster effort in the game, Detroit’s first postseason win in 32 years, hauling in seven catches for 110 yards.
It raises the question: what will St. Brown do for an encore at Ford Field this Sunday? To best address that question, let’s look at the slot defender he’ll likely face for the majority of the night: Rams safety Quentin Lake.
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Lake, a third-year pro, is a versatile defender who can play safety, nickel corner, or dime linebacker on third down.
In 2023, the UCLA product played 14 games (four starts) and had 53 total tackles, six passes defensed, and a fumble recovery. Furthermore, he had a 96.3 passer rating against and a 71.2 overall grade, including a 68.0 coverage grade, from Pro Football Focus.
Lake faced St. Brown on a few reps in last year’s playoff game, allowing one catch (on two targets) for 11 yards.
Although he only allowed one reception, it was significant for St. Brown and the Lions. It came on a second-and-9 at the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, effectively securing the victory for Detroit. Lake still remembers it eight months later.
“I kept that play in my memory bank,” Lake told Rams reporters Friday.
I suspect Lake will leave Ford Field on Sunday night with some nasty memories once more. St. Brown is dominating Lake and his Rams counterparts, with seven receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown.
