The Detroit Lions can see evidence of how a turnaround can happen quickly, and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has set some big goals for 2022.
In 2020, the coaching staffs of the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals were leading teams down at the Senior Bowl to kick off the pre-draft process. The franchises couldn’t be in more different places now, with the Lions back in Mobile this week with the second overall pick in April’s draft and the Bengals getting ready to play in Super Bowl LVI.
From the worst record in the league in 2019 to the Super Bowl this year, the Bengals are evidence a turnaround can happen very quickly. Lions head coach Dan Campbell believes his team can do it too, and the 2022 season will be an important step in that progress.
Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown asserted himself late in his 2021 rookie season, catching 51 passes for 560 yards and five touchdowns over the final six games. He’s a legit part of the Lions’ future, with intangible drive that will make him into an easy team leader.
Amon-Ra St. Brown has lofty goals for the Lions in 2022
In an interview with SI.com’s AllTrojans, St. Brown laid out goals he has for the Lions as a team next season.
"I think our biggest goal is to get in the postseason, to get in the playoffs. You can’t win a Super Bowl without getting into the playoffs,” St. Brown said.I think for us, we want to win the division. That’s obviously going to get you to the playoffs. So, being able to win the division, make the playoffs — and once we make the playoffs, I think we’re just going to take it week by week. Try to win every game, but it’s going to take a lot of work to get there and we understand that,” St. Brown continued. “But, I think that’s our goal is to win the division, make the playoffs. And then, once we make those playoffs, it’s a whole new season. Starting from scratch, you got to go week by week.”"
Depending on what happens with the quarterback situations in Green Bay (Aaron Rodgers) and Minnesota (Kirk Cousins) this offseason, the door could be open for the Lions to climb the NFC North standings next season. The remaining divisional rival in Chicago has a new head coach and a lot of questions.
Going from three wins this year to the playoffs, let alone a division title, next year is an unlikely climb for the Lions. But there is a positive vibe and a positive early trajectory in place, and that itself is something based on the franchise’s lackluster history.