Amon-Ra St. Brown sets several Lions rookie records vs. Falcons

At this point, Detroit Lions rookie receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown may not be considered a feature of the Lions offense, but the centerpiece of it. In Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, St. Brown set a career high with 91 receiving yards, outgaining last week’s production of 90 yards. On Sunday, he became the first Lions rookie to hit 90 receiving yards in back-to-back games since Dave Middleton... in 1955.

He’s becoming so much of a weapon with the ball in his hands that the Lions are drawing up creative ways to get him involved. He added two successful rushing plays on Sunday, totalling 19 yards, including one clutch third-down conversions.

But it isn’t just about one game. Look at his production over the last four games combined: 35 catches, 340 yards and three touchdowns. As pointed out by the Lions PR Twitter account, St. Brown has set a few rookie marks over that four-game stretch.

St. Brown became the first ever Lions rookie to post four straight games with eight or more receptions. In fact, he was only the second rookie in the entire NFL since the Super Bowl era to hit that streak. The only other rookie receiver in the modern era to accomplish that feat was Odell Beckham Jr. The only other Lions receiver to ever do it in their career—not just their rookie season—was Calvin Johnson, and he only did it once—in a five-game stretch in 2012.

In St. Brown’s current four-game stretch, he also hit 70 receiving yards in each game, which has never been done by a Lions rookie since the NFL/AFL merger in 1970.

With the 91 yards on Sunday, St. Brown is now up to 692 receiving yards on the year. That ranks him third among Lions rookies in franchise history. You may recognize the two names in front of him:

Roy Williams: 817 yards, 8 TDs
Calvin Johnson: 756 yards, 4 TDs
Amon-Ra St. Brown: 692 yards, 3 TDs

With two games left, St. Brown has a realistic shot at jumping both players, albeit with an extended 17-game schedule. Still, this has been a special season for St. Brown, and he’s outperforming all but three rookie receivers in the NFL this year.

He also continues to add to franchise records he already holds for rookies:

• Receptions (74)
• Consecutive four-catch games (7)
• Four-catch games, total (10)

“There’s been a lot that we put on his shoulders these last few weeks because he’s capable, that’s why,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said after Sunday’s game. “He is improving, and he’s steady, and he’s reliable. He’s in a great place. He’s one of those guys that as a play-caller, I trust all the time and I know the quarterbacks do, too.”

The future is bright.