After a down day in Week 1, it felt certain Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown would be more involved against the Buccaneers on Sunday. The matchup certainly fostered the idea he'd have a big rebound.
St. Brown led the Lions with 11 catches for 119 yards on Sunday, on 19 targets. The offense as a whole left a lot to be desired, but St. Brown got it done. It's his seventh career game with at least 10 receptions.
But St. Brown also got banged up against Tampa Bay. Late in the third quarter, after a low hit, he was able to jog off the field under his own power. Then late in the fourth quarter he was clearly hobbled again, and he was not on the field for the last five plays of the Lions' final drive.
Right after the game head coach Dan Campbell did not go into detail about St. Brown's injury, but what he did say was optimistic.
"No, he's alright," Campbell said. "I don't think it's anything long-term, so that's good news."
Amon-Ra St. Brown injury update is good news for the Lions
On Monday morning, ESPN's Adam Schefter added more to Campbell's postgame sentiment about St. Brown's injury.
"Despite being hobbled during Sunday’s game, Lions WR Amon-Ra initially was determined to have only a contusion and cramping, per source."
A contusion could have a wide variety of severities, while cramping is relatively minor in the scope of more serious possible injuries. But we also know the extent of the stuff St. Brown played through last season, so a contusion is unlikely to keep him off the field.
During his press conference on Monday afternoon, Campbell had a little bit more information on St. Brown's injury, with the same optimism he had on Sunday.
Lions HC Dan Campbell asked about Amon-Ra St. Brown's injury: "Lower leg. He'll be good. Soft tissue."
— Richard Silva (@rich_silva18) September 16, 2024
When the Lions take the practice field on Wednesday, expect St. Brown to be listed as a limited participant. It may happen on Thursday and Friday too, and yield a questionable listing on Friday's injury report. But with what we know right now, with a serious injury avoided, it would be a huge surprise if he misses next Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals.