Inside the Article:
Heading into the 2022 season, the hopes were that the Detroit Lions could make a run at a wild card spot in the NFL Playoffs. But after the team got off to a 1-6 start to the season, nobody, and I mean NOBODY believe they would make a run. But that’s exactly what the Lions did by racking up eight wins in their final 10 games, coming up just one game short of making the playoffs. According to Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, the San Francisco 49ers wanted nothing to do with playing Detroit in the playoffs.
Key Points
- Despite a 1-6 start to the 2022 season, the Lions finished strong by winning eight of their final 10 games, falling just one game short of making the playoffs.
- According to Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, players from the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers told him they did not want to play the Lions in the playoffs due to their strong finish to the season.
- St. Brown believes that the Lions’ improved performance will make it tougher for them in the upcoming season, as teams will be more prepared and motivated to play them, but he is confident that the Lions will be ready for the challenge.
San Francisco 49ers did not want to play Detroit Lions in NFL Playoffs
During a recent interview with Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Amon-Ra said 49ers players told him that they wanted no part of the Lions in the playoffs.
“I talk to other players, they told me like, ‘Man, you guys were rolling towards the end. We did not want to play you in the playoffs,’” St. Brown said of conversations he had with players from the San Francisco 49ers at the Pro Bowl and the Los Angeles Chargers during offseason training. “So teams know now. We’re not no walk-over team now. I think that’s just going to make it tougher for us this season, but it’s just going to make it more fun because I feel like teams sometimes in the past, my rookie year, they’d come into our stadium thinking it was just going to be an easy game for them they’re going to go win. And maybe that was the case, maybe it wasn’t. I know it wasn’t my rookie year against the Cardinals, that was for sure. I feel like that was a crazy game for them.
“But I feel like moving forward for us, we got to know that teams are going to be on their A-game when they play us, so we’ll be ready for it.”
Bottom Line: 2023 Will be a challenge for the Lions
The Lions surprised many with their impressive end to the 2022 NFL season, coming up just short of a playoff spot. In fact, had the Seattle Seahawks lost their final game against the Rams, the Lions would have squeezed in. The Lions clearly have a newfound respect around the NFL, and Amon-Ra St. Brown knows they are preparing to face tougher competition in the upcoming season. The Lions are no longer considered a walk-over team and are ready to prove themselves as a force to be reckoned with.
