ALLEN PARK — Going into Week 3 of the NFL, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is a big reason that the Lions have the NFL’s fourth-ranked offense.
St. Brown was named the NFC’s offensive player of the week for his production in the win over the Commanders on Sunday when he had nine receptions, while setting career highs in receiving yards (116), receiving touchdowns (2), rushing yards (68) and yards from scrimmage (184). He set the NFL record for most consecutive games (6) with 8 receptions and a touchdown.
“I would say for me I’m looking to do much more than just be the player of the week,’’ St. Brown said on Wednesday. “That’s just this week. I’m looking to do a lot more this season as a team and individually. It’s a new week I already forgot about last week.’’
On Sunday at the Minnesota Vikings, St. Brown will need eight receptions to establish a new NFL record with nine straight games with 8-plus catches. He also needs one touchdown reception to establish a new team record by producing a TD catch in 7 straight games.
“I would say I take pride in consistency, that’s something I take very seriously. But the record, it is what it is, I don’t go into the game thinking let me get this record. It kind of happened. Obviously last game I knew the record was at stake, the record I broke,’’ St. Brown said. “Going into it I was just playing ball and it happened how it did. Obviously next week if I get 8 more I will break another record. I go into the game just playing ball. I think the moment you start thinking about things like that is the moment you start playing slow, doing things you wouldn’t normally do.’’
St. Brown exudes a quiet confidence. When asked if he considers himself one of the top wide receivers in the league, he didn’t hesitate to say, “I feel that way,”
Quarterback Jared Goff said the stats are crazy but he hasn’t been forcing the ball to St. Brown.
“It hasn’t felt like we’ve been like trying, like we’ve got to get him involved. It’s just kind of the way the flow is going,’’ Goff said. “He runs good routes, he gets himself open. Again, it hasn’t felt forced. It’s been natural and he’s done a great job.’’
In his second year, St. Brown has turned heads around the NFL for his accomplishments as a fourth-round pick in 2021.
It still irks him that he was drafted so late. He mentioned that the Commanders drafted wide receiver Dyami Brown before him in the third round, but he didn’t see him much in the game. Dyami Brown played but doesn’t have a catch so far this season. The Vikings didn’t draft a wide receiver before him, but as he pointed out they didn’t draft him either.
Coach Dan Campbell said on Wednesday that GM Brad Holmes was a fan of St. Brown’s early in the draft process before they selected him in the fourth round out of USC.
“I know for me, watching him reminded me of Jarvis Landry (Saints wide receiver) — his competitive nature, he played smart. He was an aggressive player with the ball in the air, he would attack the football, you saw him block downfield, he was versatile, he had quickness and really the only thing he didn’t have he wasn’t a 4.3 guy,’’ Campbell said. “But everything else were traits we felt like fit us and he’d be a natural fit in the slot.
“In general as a group you want versatility, you want a little of everything — you want pure route runners, you want speed, you want size, craftiness, quicks and I feel like we have that in that room we have the right blend of guys who are all a little bit different and unique in what they could do,’’ the coach added.
Obviously St. Brown’s teammates may be his biggest fans.
“(The records are) very cool for him and it means he’s doing the right thing absolutely, and it means we’re somewhat on the right path as well for being able to get a guy who’s that good that often,’’ quarterback Jared Goff said. “The more popular he gets, the more notoriety he gets, people are going to have plans for him so you’re going to see those players like him go from where he’s at right now to really special and that’s where we hope he goes.”
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