DETROIT — The high school football scene in California was buzzing in 2017. Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana had an All-American receiver whose name was difficult to pronounce.
Amon-RAH (ahmon-RAH) St. Brown.
Jared Goff, then quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams and another California native who had been selected first overall in the previous year’s NFL draft, didn’t recognize the name either.
“When I was in LA and he was in high school, that was him. [Mater Dei] Quarterback JT Daniels was setting the world on fire,” Goff recalled. “And I remember hearing all kinds of stories about Amon-Ra St. Brown, who was just an incredible high school kid. Me and I thought, ‘What is he?’ name? How do you spell that?’ But yeah, and now we’re together and it’s great.”
Goff and St. Brown eventually joined forces with the Detroit Lions in 2021, forming one of the best quarterback-receiver pairings in the NFL.
Goff, who participates in this Sunday night’s showdown at the Houston Texans, has been with the St. Louis Blues since Week 3. He completed his last 30 passes targeting Brown. Based on the difficulty of each catch, the odds of St. Louis breaking the streak were 0.0001. %, or 1 in 780,000, according to Next Gen Stats.
The improbable goal was the result of the chemistry the two players had built over countless hours working together.
On Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, St. Brown celebrated by standing on his head after catching all seven of Goff’s targets for 56 yards and a touchdown.
“He’s very accurate where he throws the ball and he’s not just throwing it for the sake of throwing it, so I think that’s the biggest thing,” St. Brown told ESPN after a 24-14 win at Green Bay. “It’s really him. When he throws it to me, I’m just there to make a play.”
Brown is tied for second in the NFL in touchdown receptions, and Goff is experiencing one of the best years of his professional career after becoming the first QB in NFL history to complete 80% of his touchdown receptions. It will last six games, including Sunday.
Lions coach Dan Campbell knows he’s looking at something unique.
“If you’re a quarterback and we’ve got something really good, it’s easy to throw to a guy like St. Brown because he’s open, he’s got body control, he’s balanced, he’s able to separate, he’s got agility, speed of play, strong hands.” said Campbell. “His physical demeanor tells me that if he’s a quarterback, he really knows what he’s doing. They’ve been doing it long enough that they can think about it without saying it. They know each other and they know what they’re preparing for. And all of that. It’s special, and they make each other better.”
Although they were both from California and knew each other, Goff and St. The Browns didn’t officially meet until they both arrived in Detroit in 2021. Goff was traded from the Rams in exchange for longtime Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. Brown was a fourth-round selection out of USC.
Brown’s NFL career got off to a slow start. Although he did not make his first career start until Week 5 of his rookie season, he finished the year with the Lions franchise records for most receiving yards (912) and receptions (90) by a rookie. Since then, he has become the franchise record holder for fewest games needed to reach 4,000 career yards (57).
“He continued to grow and I thought, ‘We have to give this guy credit.’” And actually, Goff would say, ‘This guy is going to be a good player,'” Campbell said. “He knew that early on, so it was about continuing to grow and giving him opportunities. And once that connection started, it didn’t go away.”
The two hold private pitching sessions every summer in Southern California, working on timing, tendencies and ball placement. Over the years, St. Brown’s ability to create separation and win one-on-one matchups has made him a reliable target for Goff.
“He’s the friendliest target I’ve ever thrown and I’m lucky to get to play with him,” said Goff, who played four seasons alongside All-Pro wideout Cooper Kupp before joining the Lions. “I want to play with him for a long time. He is a hard worker. He does everything right. I love him. He is great.”
In the Lions’ Week 7 win at previously undefeated Minnesota, their connection was on display during Detroit’s final drive. With 1:18 remaining, Goff scored a St. Paul’s touchdown pass for 14 yards to set up kicker Jake Bates’ game-winning field goal. Found Brown.
According to ESPN Analytics, the Lions enter this weekend as the best chance of any team to make the Super Bowl (30%). St Brown’s ultimately puts its trust in Gough as one of the leaders helping the Lions achieve their goals. Detroit has never been to the Super Bowl or won an NFL championship since 1957. They’re hoping to change things as the two California friends run the show.
“I think he’s been able to get us over the hump. It’s just that it’s a team sport. We’ve all got to be on the same page and get over the hump together,” St. Brown said. . “It’s just not him. So you have to keep being him. It’s amazing.”
