The Detroit Lions remember the crushing agony that came with losing the NFC Championship game at Levi's Stadium last season.
For wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, a goal was set to put the team in position in 2024 to return to that stage and play it at home.
As it stands, at the season's halfway point, the Lions are currently holding the top seed in the NFC.
While St. Brown has maintained a one game at a time approach, he acknowledged that having the top seed in the NFC would have a major impact in the postseason.
“I think it’s a little too far right now to be looking at the number one seed, we’re just trying to take it one game at a time," St. Brown said. "But I remember finishing last year, and remembering after the NFC Championship loss, telling ourselves we want to get that number one seed next year and have that home-field advantage, because we feel like it does make a difference, especially with the fans we have here in Detroit. To be able to play home games in the playoffs is huge.”
The Lions offense will get a spark this weekend in the return of wide receiver Jameson Williams. His ability to stretch the field will add an element that the group had missed, even though they were able to continue having success.
“It feels amazing. Much needed. I feel like he’s gonna bring a huge spark to our offense," St. Brown said. "Finally, no more rain conditions, Tennessee was kind of an odd game. Hopefully this game we can kind of get back in a rhythm again on offense. Having him back is gonna be huge for us. I’m excited and I know he is too.”
St. Brown has been one half of an elite tandem, along with quarterback Jared Goff, as of late. The two have connected on 30 straight passes sent in St. Brown's direction. Both players arrived in Detroit in 2021, with the receiver being a fourth-round pick and Goff being acquired via trade.
Their years of working together has shown, and now it has been a big reason for Detroit's success.
"It's been growing every year since I've got here. I think each and every year, obviously you want to think you get better every year and you're growing and you're understanding defenses and stuff like that," St. Brown explained. "For us, I understand what he's seeing out there. I know what he likes as a route-runner, things he likes us to do. And he knows how I like to run my routes, things I'm seeing, how I run different routes in the offense. So he can anticipate throws really easily. Having that chemistry, playing with him for four years definitely helps."
Ben Johnson expressed to reporters the offense is executing so well, he wants to keep calling even more passing plays.
"A guy that I had in college named John Shoop was one of my mentors, really the reason why I got into coaching. I still remember him when I was a quarterback at Carolina, he said, ‘Man I don’t know if you guys can go 18-for-18, but I know you can go one-for-one 18 times.’ And it feels like that’s what’s going on with Jared and (Amon-Ra) St. Brown right now," said Johnson. "Their connection particular, but just Jared as a whole. Each play is it's own play, and he knows where to go with the football. He’s putting it in a good spot for our guys to not only catch it, but also run after the catch."
The USC product also went viral over the weekend for his touchdown celebration against the Packers. After catching the touchdown on a pivotal fourth-down, he executed a head stand that produced a sure-to-be iconic photo at Lambeau Field.
St. Brown said he was made aware of it by the video of a wide receiver from Incarnate Word doing the celebration after scoring a touchdown Saturday. Atlanta's Drake London also executed the celebration in a game earlier Sunday.
"I actually didn't practice it. As a kid, I remember doing hand stands," St. Brown said when asked by Lions OnSI. "I knew it wasn't gonna be too hard. I saw the clip on my phone and I was like, 'I'm doing it tomorrow.' I did it, and once I did it, I knew it was gonna look pretty cool."
