Lions RB Craig Reynolds' block meant lights out for Bucs: 'He's the reason why I scored'

TAMPA, Fla. - Amon-Ra St. Brown did everything wrong, but Craig Reynolds made sure it turned out all right.

Reynolds made the key block on St. Brown's momentum-starting touchdown Sunday as the Detroit Lions won their fourth straight game by double digits, 20-6, over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

St. Brown scored the first touchdown of the game on a 27-yard catch-and-run with 2:39 left in the first half, then celebrated by mobbing Reynolds on the sideline like Reynolds was the one who hit pay dirt.

"He's the reason why I scored," St. Brown said. "It was a big play for us. And I’m just glad. I mean, we teach blocking after the catch so much and it showed up big time for us when we needed it most, so hats off to Craig."

Reynolds, who took over for David Montgomery as the Lions' lead back after Montgomery injured his ribs on the first play of the drive, came running from behind the line of scrimmage to make a bone-rattling block 10 yards downfield on Bucs cornerback Carlton Davis and give St. Brown a clear path to the end zone.

On third-and-13 from the Tampa 27, Reynolds started the play in pass protection then leaked out to the right flat as an outlet for Lions quarterback Jared Goff.

Goff threw short to St. Brown over the middle, who caught the ball at the 21-yard line and was supposed to knife upfield for extra yards. With two defenders between him and the first down marker, St. Brown said he made a conscious decision to cut across field instead and try to score.

"So I cut across, boom, and I see 24 (Davis) and I see Craig come out of nowhere and I like kind of point at 24 and Craig just comes zooming, boom. Lights him up," St. Brown said.

Reynolds, who hit Davis so hard he sent the defensive back tumbling to the ground, said he worried he was going to get penalized as he was sizing Davis up for the block.

"I’m not going to lie, for a split second I was (thinking), 'What’s the rules as far as like a block like this?'" Reynolds said. "I’m literally running towards him, I’m like, 'I think if I’m going towards my goal line I'm OK,' and I just said, 'F it.' Like, 'If I get fined, I get fined.' Ooh, am I going to get fined for that?"

Reynolds finished with 10 carries for 15 yards Sunday one week after scoring his first NFL touchdown in a blowout win over the Carolina Panthers.

DETROIT LIONS GRADES: A lot of passing was the right call, considering run struggles

Goff called Reynolds' block "sweet" and said St. Brown "did everything wrong running sideways and still gets a touchdown, partially cause of what Craig did there."

Lions coach Dan Campbell said the block was another example of the selfless play that has endeared Reynolds to his teammates. A former undrafted rookie who played for three teams before finding a home with the Lions in 2021, Reynolds had 14 carries entering Sunday and had made his biggest contributions on special teams.

"It was outstanding," Campbell said. "That’s what he does. You talk about a guy who plays for the guys around him and just does things right. He shows up in critical times when not everybody sees him, and honestly, he does stuff like that all the time. And then for Saint to use it, he felt him and you saw him take that loop around and use that block and then find a way to take it into the end zone. That was just huge. That’s a couple players making plays for us is what that was."

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Amon-Ra St. Brown: Craig Reynolds' block was 'the reason why I scored'