Tensions between Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay have flared up after St. Brown’s comments regarding a potential matchup between the two teams with full rosters. On the latest Big Play Slay podcast, Slay responded to St. Brown’s assertion that the Lions would have been more competitive against the Eagles with a healthy defense.
Darius Slay Responds to Amon-Ra St. Brown's Claims
Slay did not hold back in his response. “I’m just on a rampage now, because this is what it is. After we done won, all I see on the internet is, ‘Oh, we’re this close to the Eagles.’ Our boy in Detroit, I love him, I love St. Brown. I think he’s an amazing receiver. I saw him say, ‘Yeah man, we’ll see what we’d have done with a healthy defense.’ All kind of crazy stuff,” Slay said as quoted by Lions OnSi.
He went on to express that he feels like the Eagles are constantly being underestimated, especially after victories. “Maybe this is what Kansas City used to feel like while everyone’s taking shots at them when they lost,” Slay added, referring to the Chiefs being criticized despite their success in recent seasons.
Slay: No Excuses for Losing
The seasoned Eagles defender made it clear that losing was never an excuse for his team. “We took our ass-whooping like a champ and went about our day,” Slay remarked, emphasizing that the Eagles never complained about losing, even when factors like the field conditions might have affected their performance. “You didn’t hear us complain about, ‘Oh, the field was slippery,’ nah, we didn’t say none of that s**t. We just took that s**t like a champ because they put their shoes on just like we had to put our shoes on.”
Slay Challenges St. Brown’s Desire for a 2025 Rematch
Slay firmly stated that no other team in 2024 came close to matching the Eagles’ level of play. “For some teams that say they were close to us, I’m just like, ‘Nah, not the 2024-25 Eagles, no.’ Wasn’t nobody close. That’s why the scores look like the scores when we played teams,” Slay said, noting the dominance his team showed on the field.
Regarding St. Brown’s desire to face the Eagles in the first game of the 2025 season, Slay had some strong words. “That team is not going to beat this team. Win, lose or draw, you wake up and you say, ‘Oh yeah, this is what would’ve happened if we would’ve played them last year.’ No, you wouldn’t have, because that’s a different team.”
Slay pointed out that NFL rosters are constantly changing, especially with free agency on the horizon. “People are gonna be gone, people are gonna get money. Free agency coming up, money coming up. It’s not gonna be the same team,” he said, reinforcing that the Eagles’ roster will look different in 2025.
Bottom Line
Had the Detroit Lions had a healthy roster, would they have beaten the Washington Commanders to advance to the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles? Probably. But would that healthy Lions team beat the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles? My belief is that a healthy Lions team would have beaten the Eagles at Ford Field, but we will never know. That said, at some point in the 2025 regular season, whether it be in Week 1, Week 18, or somewhere in between, the Lions and Eagles will square off, and when they do, you can bet it will be one heck of a game!
