Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown have been one of the most consistently productive quarterback-receiver duos in the NFL over the last three seasons.
The Goff to St. Brown connection has accounted for 294 of St. Brown's 315 career receptions for 3,382 yards and 19 touchdowns. When throwing St. Brown's way, Goff has a 108.4 passer rating and a 73 percent completion percentage, per Next Gen Stats.
St. Brown said this week it was going into his second year when he and Goff threw in California in the offseason that things just started to click between the two, and it hasn't stopped clicking since.
St. Brown has never been one to shy away from self-motivation techniques to help take his game to another level, whether that's knowing all 16 receivers taken before him in the 2021 NFL Draft or a perceived Pro Bowl snub. He said he had to go harder after not making the Pro Bowl this season, and he put 144 yards and a touchdown on the Vikings last Sunday.
The Lions host the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round of playoffs Sunday at Ford Field. A win or go home game is motivation enough for most, but the matchup has given St. Brown a chance to give himself a little extra something. He not only wants to have a big night to help the Lions secure their first playoff win in over 30 years, but he also wants a win for the guy who has delivered him the football over the last three years.
"If you asked me personally, I definitely want to win it for him," St. Brown said this week of Goff. "But I know, I mean, he might not tell the media or what. But I think it's within every player. You come from a team that – first-round pick, went to the Super Bowl and then gets traded, if you ask anyone, they're going to feel some type of way.
"For me, I want to go win it for him. It fires me up that he's playing his old team. I'm excited for him. And, shoot, I want to do it for him as much as I do for the whole team."
INJURY UPDATES
After sitting out practice Wednesday and Thursday, All-Pro rookie tight end Sam LaPorta was back on the field for the Lions at the portion open to the media Friday.
"LaPorta will run around today, so he's feeling better," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said before practice.
Will he play Sunday vs. the Rams?
"I'm going to revert back to what I said two days ago," Campbell said. "So, we'll know much, much more after today's practice. And then entirely, what does it look like tomorrow when he wakes up? I know this, he's gotten better every day. And so, we're going to have him out there, take some practice reps and see where it goes."
Cornerback Jerry Jacobs suffered a knee injury this week and could be headed to IR. Campbell said a transaction on that front could come on Saturday.
FORD FIELD ADVANTAGE
Campbell knows exactly what kind of environment the Lions and Rams are stepping into Sunday night at Ford Field.
"Yeah, I mean to me this is three years ago thinking about what this was going to be like and what it could be like and now it's here," he said Friday.
"And so, I know exactly what it's going to look like. I've seen it in my head. It's going to be different than anybody's seen. I think this is going to be one of the most electric environments, atmospheres that you're going to find, and I think it's going to be an advantage."
EXTRA POINT
The Lions finished 20th in Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings.
