The Detroit Lions’ passing game has long relied on the tremendous rapport between Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jared Goff, a partnership that has anchored the offense through multiple seasons.
However, in recent weeks, that connection has dissipated in ways the Lions aren’t accustomed to seeing – and in ways they cannot afford to let linger.
St. Brown has logged just seven total receptions and 100 receiving yards over the past two games, a stretch that includes some of the least efficient production of his career.
He's also caught just 35 percent of his targets from Goff the last two weeks, including a season-low and career-worst 16.7 percent of his targets in Detroit's Week 11 loss to the Eagles.
Even more alarming, seven of Goff’s targets to St. Brown against Philadelphia came in critical third-and-fourth-down situations, and none of them resulted in conversions.
For a duo that typically thrives when the stakes rise, that’s as uncharacteristic as it gets.
The issues aren’t isolated to situational downs, either.
St. Brown is currently on pace for the lowest catch percentage of his career (70.2 percent), and his five drops already surpass his total from last season. Additionally, his 5.3 percent drop rate marks another career low.
Meanwhile, Goff’s timing with his most trusted receiver has been off, as he’s missed throws he typically places with precision.
Still, neither player nor the coaching staff believes this is evidence of a deeper-rooted issue.
St. Brown, for one, downplayed the notion of any disconnect in his media session with reporters Thursday.
“Obviously, there’s a few plays in that last game we should have back, but it’s just little things here and there,” the fifth-year receiver said. “Few plays, whether it’s me, whether it’s someone else, just not connecting. But, if you’d ask anyone in this building, we’re not worried. We got the right guys.”
Detroit offensive coordinator John Morton doesn’t believe the connection issues between Goff and St. Brown will persist, either.
“Just missing throws, that’s all. Whether it was technique on the route or - again, I’m talking about the same thing again. That’s what it’s boiling down to,” Morton expressed Thursday. “So, just one of those things that happened. So, it won’t happen again. We’ll make sure.”
Despite the slump, St. Brown is in the middle of another highly productive season, with 66 catches for 735 yards and eight touchdowns through 10 games.
He also remains on pace to reach at least 100 receptions for the fourth straight season, and to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving plateau for the fourth consecutive campaign, too.
For the Lions to get back on track offensively, the Goff-to-St. Brown connection must return to its reliable form.
Given their track record, Detroit has every reason to believe the duo will revert to its old ways in time for the season’s final seven weeks.