Detroit Lions game balls: Pro Bowl snub fuels big day by Amon-Ra St. Brown
Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett hands out game balls for the best performances from the Detroit Lions' 30-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Ford Field:
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
St. Brown was one of the most notable Pro Bowl snubs last week, and the third-year Lions receiver said that fueled his huge performance Sunday.
St. Brown caught seven passes for 144 yards and weaved his way past and through Vikings defenders for a 70-yard touchdown. He finished the season with 119 catches for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns, hitting personal goals for yards and TDs and putting himself in a prime spot to cash in big with an extension this offseason.
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“I was ready, I was excited,” St. Brown said. “(Not making the Pro Bowl) is what it is but I don’t know how many 1,500-yard receivers with 10 touchdowns didn’t make the Pro Bowl, but I guess I got to try to look that up and see.”
DE Aidan Hutchinson
Hutchinson gets a game ball for the second straight week. He had four tackles, two sacks, another tackle-for-loss and a handful of key pressures Sunday, and he and the Lions’ pass rush seem to be cresting at the right time.
Hutchinson has five sacks and a forced fumble in the past two games and the Lions had nine takeaways in the final three weeks of the regular season. With Alim McNeill back healthy, the defensive line is to be in a good spot heading into the playoffs.
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“He’s a guy who he’s relentless, but he works his craft,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “He’s got a quick first step, he’s an explosive athlete, but then he constantly is working his hands and his body and he’s lean and his torque and his — and he just every day he gets a little bit better at something and here we go now we got to Week 18 and now he continues to improve, he continues to develop. So, that’s not just a credit to him now, but a number of guys. I think Saint is playing some of the best football you’re going to find right now, too, on the offensive side.”
WR Josh Reynolds
Forget a game ball, Reynolds got paid Sunday to the tune of an extra $250,000
The veteran receiver entered the game needing 36 yards to reach 600 for the season and trigger an escalator that would put a quarter of a million dollars in his pocket. He had a quiet first three quarters, but with the game in the bag, the Lions threw Reynolds bubble screens on four straight plays to end the game. He caught all four passes for 26 yards much to the delight of his coaches and teammates.
Campbell said the Lions owed it to Reynolds to get his bonus the all the dirty work he does in the run game, and it won’t be lost on anyone the lengths the team went to make sure it happened.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions game balls: Pro Bowl snub fuels Amon-Ra St. Brown
