Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Lions didn’t hesitate to criticize his Pro Bowl omission.
Five Detroit Lions players were selected to the 2023 Pro Bowl on Wednesday night, but one superstar was noticeably absent from the list: receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. The receiver, who’s having a career-high year with 1,371 yards and nine touchdowns, showed obvious frustration with the Pro Bowl snub while speaking with media on Thursday. He seemed to feel that he deserved a selection, which some fans agreed with him on social media on Wednesday night.
“The receivers that got picked, they’re great players, but I was hot,” St. Brown said. “I guess I didn’t do enough during the season, so I’ve got to go harder.” The four NFC receivers chosen for the Pro Bowl include Dallas Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Mike Evans, Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown and Los Angeles Rams’ Puka Nacua. The Lions clinched the NFC North for the first time in team history and currently hold the No. 3 NFC seed for the playoffs heading into Sunday’s matchup vs. the Minnesota Vikings.
Amon-Ra St. Brown is wrapping up a career season in Detroit, but he was heated Thursday afternoon.
The Lions star wide receiver was not selected to the NFC’s Pro Bowl team this season. Instead, Brown is the first alternate.
“The receivers that got picked, they’re great players, but I was hot,” St. Brown said, via ESPN’s Eric Woodyard. “I guess I didn’t do enough during the season, so I’ve got to go harder.”
Headed into Sunday’s regular-season finale, St. Brown has racked up 1,371 yards and nine touchdowns on 112 catches this season, all of which are career bests. He has had eight 100-yard receiving games this season, too, which has him tied with both Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb and Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill for most in the league.
Perhaps more importantly for Lions fans, however, St. Brown helped lead the team to its first divisional title since 1993, which means the Lions will host their first playoff game in 30 years later this month.
While St. Brown’s season has been great, it wasn’t quite enough for him to make the Pro Bowl roster. Instead, Lamb, Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans, Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown and Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua were the four NFC receivers to make the cut. Several other notable NFC receivers were left out, too, including the 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk and the Bears’ D.J. Moore, who made his feelings about the snub known on social media.
Other notable snubs, such as Buccaneers safety Antonie Winfield Jr. and Jets linebacker Quincy Williams, also spoke out on social media after not making the Pro Bowl.
Moore had a career-high 1,300 yards and eight touchdowns with the Bears this season, though they’ve been eliminated from the playoffs already. Aiyuk has 1,317 yards, seven touchdowns and a career-high 18.3 yards per reception this season with the 49ers, who have locked up the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Hill, Cleveland’s Amari Cooper, the Chargers’ Keenan Allen and Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase were the four wide receivers selected for the Pro Bowl in the AFC.
The Lions had five players named to the Pro Bowl, including tight end Sam LaPorta and defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. The 49ers had the most in the league, with nine players making the Pro Bowl, including eight starters. The Baltimore Ravens and the Cowboys each had seven players.
The Lions will host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in their regular-season finale
