The Detroit Lions have had some notable issues on offense this season, and most revolve around their inability to get good play from their offensive line due to injuries and inconsistency up front.
Quietly, though, a big struggle has revolved around the inability of Detroit's top weapons to play up in big games. Far too often, the Lions have seen at least one of their big-time players struggle to get any traction when they need them the most.
Amon-Ra St. Brown has enjoyed another solid season, posting 735 yards and eight touchdowns. He's poised to finish well over 1,000 yards and with double-digit scores for the third consecutive year. In spite of that, not everything has been clean for the top wideout this season.
St. Brown has suffered more drops this season than in his first few years in the league. It's caused people to wonder whether there is a bigger reason for his inconsistency. So far this year, St. Brown has a total of five recorded drops to his credit. Most have been in clutch situations, including a fourth-down. He dropped a few passes against the Philadelphia Eagles, which hurt the offense.
To see St. Brown dropping passes is rare. Usually, he's sure-handed and has punished himself in the past for mental mistakes with added work on the JUGS machine. The hope for the Lions is that this development is a coincidence, because Detroit needs St. Brown to make every play possible as the clear-cut No. 1 receiver.
Jameson Williams has come on recently, but the Lions need St. Brown to be more than a bystander if they want to become lethal on offense. He must lead the charge statistically for the receivers and avoid simple mistakes.
St. Brown thinks Lions must make more clutch plays to improve offense
Even though Week 11 was St. Brown's worst game in 2025, and it seemed he and Jared Goff were on separate pages, the wide receiver isn't hitting the panic button. Instead, he wants to see the Lions hone in on the plays they missed and find a way to execute better in bigger moments.
"I mean, you have those games, but I think when it mattered most, we had plays. There were plays to be had and we didn't make them. Some passes got batted down. There's a lot of different stuff that happened. At the end of the day, man, we were in the game. We had a chance to win it. We just came up short."
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Unfortunately, that's been the reality for Detroit's offense this season. Good, but not good enough. Fortunately, there are seven games left to right the ship, and St. Brown hasn't been one to stay down long. It will be incumbent on Dan Campbell to feed him the ball against the New York Giants to get him over the frustration from the last game. Campbell can direct him to the ball, but sadly, he can't help him catch it.
Right now, St. Brown is having his most inconsistent season in the league, even though his statistics still look great. Trying to get him back to his dependable self could be Campbell's most important goal the rest of the way as a play caller.