When Amon-Ra St. Brown talks, you listen. The Detroit Lions’ star wide receiver has built his reputation on toughness, precision, and reliability, the guy who always makes the play. But after Sunday night’s 30-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, St. Brown didn’t dodge the moment that slipped away.
Late in the first half, with the Lions up 10-7 and facing a fourth-and-2 at the Chiefs’ 44-yard line, Jared Goff looked to his go-to guy. The ball hit St. Brown in stride, and fell to the turf.
“I’m not sure,” St. Brown said postgame. “I don’t know if it was tipped. Should’ve caught it. Went right to… right in my hands. Like, went through my legs. I should’ve caught it.”
Amon-Ra St. Brown drop vs Chiefs
The Turning Point
That drop turned into one of the night’s biggest momentum swings. Instead of extending the drive, and possibly the lead, the Lions handed the ball back to Patrick Mahomes, who made them pay. The Chiefs scored before halftime, then struck again to open the third quarter.
“It’s hindsight 20/20, you never know,” St. Brown said. “Yeah, you’d like to have those, you know, the touchdown first drive… you know, I catch the fourth down, who knows, maybe we get seven, three, whatever it may be.”
It was a simple play, but one that symbolized the Lions’ offensive frustrations all night. They moved the ball well, but missed the moments that mattered.
Accountability Over Excuses
True to form, St. Brown didn’t look for a scapegoat. He didn’t blame the defense’s coverages or the officials’ calls. He looked inward, and promised to respond the only way he knows how.
“I mean, I don’t really know everything that happened,” St. Brown said. “I have to watch the tape. But just from me running the routes, I feel like there was always someone over the top or… you know, I feel like they had a pretty good plan on defense. But I feel like at the end of the day, you know, we still had plays that we should have made, that I should have made, that feel like would have changed that game.”
Bounce-Back Mentality
Despite the disappointment, St. Brown kept his focus on what’s next: rebounding against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. The Lions haven’t lost back-to-back games since 2023, and St. Brown doesn’t plan on letting that streak end now.
“I think that’s mandatory for us,” he said. “I think it’s a good team in Tampa, one of the best teams in the league right now. NFC opponent, it’s going to be a big game for us. We got to watch the tape, clean everything up, and be ready to put a good week of work together.”
That’s vintage Amon-Ra St. Brown, no drama, no deflection, just accountability and grit. He dropped one on Sunday, sure. But knowing him, he’ll be the one making the catch that wins it next week.