Rams-Lions Key Matchup: Quentin Lake vs. Amon-Ra St. Brown

Quentin Lake will try to limit St. Brown's production in the slot in Week 1.

Jan 14, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) runs from Los Angeles Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (44) during the second half of a 2024 NFC wild card game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images / David Reginek-Imagn Images

Amon-Ra St. Brown and the Detroit Lions are a match made in heaven. 

Through hard work, determination and plenty of extra time with the JUGS machine after practice, St. Brown – drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 draft – has morphed into one of the NFL's very best receivers.

He's continuously made strides since joining the Lions, most notably increasing his statistical output each season.

The USC product went from a 90-catch, 912-yard receiver as a rookie to a 106-catch, 1,161-yard pass-catcher in his sophomore campaign. He then followed that up with a career-best 119-reception, 1,515-yard season in his third year as a pro. Last season, St. Brown also grabbed double-digit touchdowns for the first time in his career (10), and earned first-team All-Pro honors for his efforts.

Along the way, he's played an instrumental role in the Lions’ resurgence, helping spearhead their meteoric rise to Super Bowl contenders.

He'll begin his fourth season as a pro on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, a familiar foe for St. Brown and Detroit. In the wild-card round of last year's postseason, St. Brown & Co. topped the Rams, 24-23. The Pro Bowl wideout delivered a monstrous performance in the contest – Detroit's first playoff win in 32 years – hauling in seven catches for 110 yards.

It begs the question: What will St. Brown do for an encore at Ford Field Sunday? To best answer that question, let's take a look at the slot defender he'll likely go up against for most of the night: Rams safety Quentin Lake.

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Lake, a third-year pro, is a versatile defender who's able to play multiple positions, including safety, nickel corner and dime linebacker on third down. 

In 2023, the UCLA product suited up for 14 games (made four starts), and recorded 53 total tackles, six passes defensed and a fumble recovery. Plus, he posted a 96.3 passer rating against, and earned a 71.2 overall grade, including a 68.0 coverage grade, from Pro Football Focus.

Lake went head-to-head with St. Brown on a couple of reps in last year's playoff game, allowing one catch (on two targets) for 11 yards. 

Although he permitted just the one reception, it was an important one for St. Brown and the Lions. It came on a second-and-9 at the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, and effectively iced the game for Detroit. Eight months later, Lake hasn't forgotten it.

“I kept that play in my memory bank,” Lake told Rams reporters Friday.

I believe Lake will be leaving Ford Field Sunday night with some bad memories once again. I have St. Brown torching Lake and his Rams counterparts, to the tune of seven receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown.