The Detroit Lions are counting on wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to lead the offense to success.
After earning a hefty contract extension, the former fourth-round pick has emerged as one of the most reliable offensive weapons in the National Football League.
But against the Philadelphia Eagles, the connection between St. Brown and Jared Goff was clearly way off.
St. Brown finished the Week 11 contest with two receptions for 42 yards on 12 targets.
Head coach Dan Campbell expressed with local reporters this week what he saw throughout the game.
“It was just, man, one thing here or there. It could be as simple as maybe a little bit deep in the pocket, maybe a little bit too deep on the route, or maybe short, or maybe we just didn’t – it’s just literally just one thing," said Campbell. "And it’s one minor thing that can pop up.
"And normally it doesn’t necessarily hurt you, but it just - some of these things hurt us yesterday," Campbell commented furhter. "And I go back to this, we have to be able to run the football better than we did as a whole. We can do better, we can be better, and it takes everybody on the unit. And I’ve got to help us, too, as the play-caller.”
During his weekly radio interview, the veteran 31-year-old took accountability for the duo not clicking in such a crucial game.
"That’s a disruptive front over there, but it’s not like we haven’t faced disruptive fronts. We were just a tick off, man. It was kind of one of those days," said Goff. "I hate saying it, but we just were a little off. And normally, even if there is something a little bit off, there’s always, we can make up for it in other areas, and we just couldn’t quite get there yesterday.”
The former No. 1 overall pick is not overly concerned regarding the duo getting back on track and quickly.
"I don’t think anything feels off, except for this past week I was off trying to get him the ball. He’s playing well. I’ve got to find ways to get it to him in space and be more accurate in those instances," said Goff. "I have been in my career so it’s not something I’m worried about. Last week was a little bit off and prior to that I don’t think there’s been any issue.”
Going into the game, many pundits felt that Cooper DeJean would get the assignment to cover St. Brown. But, Eagles defensive coordinator instead decided to deploy Adoree Jackson more against Detroit's top wideout.
Jackson was targeted five times, but only gave up one reception for eight yards when covering St. Brown (11 total plays).