As the Detroit Lions get ready for their fourth primetime appearance this season, veteran wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is looking forward to another opportunity to showcase what he and this offense can do on a national stage.
Playing in primetime is an opportunity to have the stage to yourself with the entire league tuning in. Add in the fact this is a rivalry game on Thursday Night Football with division foe Green Bay coming to town, and St. Brown is ready to go.
"It's going to be a lot of fun," he said Monday. "Primetime games are always my favorite. Everyone is watching. Big game, divisional game. When we look back four or five weeks from now this game is going to mean a lot, so we're excited. Can't wait to get playing."
The Lions have won all three of their primetime games so far this season – Week 1 vs. Los Angeles Rams (26-20), Week 4 vs. Seattle (42-29) and Week 10 at Houston (26-23).
It's no wonder St. Brown has fun playing in those games given the production we've seen from him. Including last season, St. Brown has a touchdown catch in five of his last seven games Detroit has played in primetime.
In seven career games against the Packers, St. Brown has caught 42 passes for 438 yards and three touchdowns.
"They are a good team," St. Brown said of the Packers. "Last time we played them, the conditions were a little different than they will be this game. But they are a good team and the last game they lost was against us so they've been on a pretty good roll. It's going to be a good game. I feel like every time we play Green Bay it's a good matchup."
JAMO RETURNING PUNTS?
Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said there are two players who often ask him to give them a chance to return a punt and make a play: Wide receiver Jameson Williams and rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold.
It's something we've seen Williams practice in training camp and pregame.
"I could definitely see it," Fipp said of Williams potentially getting a shot to return a punt. "I would say, development, he's come a long way. When he first came in here the catching ability was – just like a lot of guys, I mean, he played wideout and it needed some work, I'll just say it that way."
Williams returned kickoffs in college at Ohio State and Alabama, but never punts. He had two return touchdowns his last season in college at Alabama.
"Just the ability to make a play," Williams said of wanting to get the chance.
He said he's been on Fipp about giving him a shot ever since primary returner Kalif Raymond injured his foot against the Colts Week 12 and was placed on IR.
"Me and Fipp joke around a lot," Williams said. "We are real close. Got a real good relationship. So, I went up to him playing like, 'What's going on? Why am I not back there?' I caught a couple punts in practice this week. It's not (something) that's on my mind, but if it happens it happens."
CAMPBELL HOLDING DOWN THE FORT
There's been a lot of injury at the linebacker position with Derrick Barnes, Alex Anzalone and Malcolm Rodriguez all currently on IR. The one constant in the room since Day 1 has been second-year MIKE linebacker Jack Campbell. He's been playing some terrific football all season, but especially of late.
"Man, he's a rock. And I've said this several times, but the MIKE linebacker, if you had a picture of a MIKE linebacker, he would be probably standing in front because of how he operates," Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said of Campbell.
"He's a man's man, he loves standing in front of the huddle to give the call out to those guys and they really, really respect him. They respect him because of who he is personally, but they respect the way that he plays the game. It's 100 miles per hour all of the time, even in walkthrough."
Campbell is just 10 tackles away from his first 100-tackle season with five games to play. He also has five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, three passes defended and a forced fumble. He ranks as one of the best run defending linebackers in the NFL this season coming in at No. 7 on Pro Football Focus' list of run stops with 26. A run stop is categorized as a solo tackle or sack that leads to an offensive failure.
"It definitely means a lot coming from him," Campbell said of Glenn's comments Monday. "Just trying to be who I am every single day and if that's how the picture gets painted then I love that. It's just focusing on me and focusing on improving every single day and making sure this defense is just playing top-notch like I feel we've been playing all year."
