Heading onto the Week 8 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown popped up late on the injury report with an illness. He wound up playing, without apparent limitation (79 snaps) and he produced like he usually does (six catches for 108 yards).
So whatever St. Brown was dealing with went by the wayside and was quickly forgotten about. A cold, the flu, whatever it was, it was not a thing anymore. He played, played his normal snap share and had his third straight 100-yard game. If he needed some extra time to get all the way recovered, the bye week followed.
In a broad sense, fans realize what NFL players go through to be able to play games, especially in the middle of a season. There is a difference between being "hurt" and "injured", and it's a line players willingly toe to be able to suit up. St. Brown has played through plenty in his three seasons.
Amon-Ra St. Brown details painful illness he played through against the Raiders
St. Brown spoke with reporters after practice on Thursday. Via Kyle Meinke of MLive, turns out he was dealing with much more than a garden-variety cold or flu.
“I had blisters on my feet, on my hands, on my mouth,” St. Brown said after practice on Thursday. “Before the game, my hands and feet weren’t really hurting. They were hurting a little. But in the game, they got worse. I wore socks and gloves, so the blisters got swollen. I thought I was running on needles. Catching the ball, it hurt a lot, especially toward the end of the game. But sh*t, I had to play. I already missed one too many games, and I knew we had a bye week coming up too, so I knew I’d be all right.”
"A lot of pain, definitely,” he said. “Got worse throughout the game. Like I said, it’s like you’re walking on needles the whole game. So it was hurting a lot, but I was able to get through it. But I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”
St. Brown didn't detail the illness he was dealing with or what caused the blisters, but rest was apparently the remedy. He missed one game earlier this season with an abdominal injury, and he played through pain the following week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. No one would ever question his toughness, but what he dealt with against the Raiders was on a unique level.