Dan Campbell doesn’t appear to be on the hot seat, but that didn’t stop Amon-Ra St. Brown from giving his head coach a full vote of confidence going into 2026.
The Detroit Lions’ star wide receiver told Tom Brady that there’s no head coach he’d rather play for after receiving the LFG Player of the Game following a Week 18 victory over the Chicago Bears.
“I think Dan’s one of the best leaders that I’ve ever been around in my life, whether it’s a coach or not,” St. Brown said of Campbell. “His ability to rally men, not even a group of kids or boys, these are grown men who have families that he’s talking to and to rally all of us together, I think he’s one of the best at that. I wouldn’t want to be playing for any other coach. I love Dan.”
The Lions improved to 9-8 with their 19-16 victory on Sunday, but still fell well short of expectations. The club missed the playoffs thanks, in part, to a late three-game losing streak, marking the first time since 2022 that Detroit won’t be in the postseason. Of course, the Lions made the NFC Championship Game in 2023 and held the NFC’s No. 1 seed in 2024 before losing in the divisional round.
So, entering the season, the Lions understandably had lofty goals, including a reasonable chance of winning the first Super Bowl in franchise history. And, even though Detroit won’t be able to do that in 2026, St. Brown believes the Lions ended the year on a high note.
“It meant everything, just to be out here with the guys and to do it one more time,” St. Brown told Brady of Sunday’s win. “Obviously, we can’t make the playoffs anymore. We knew that coming in. Just to be out here and play for one another, I think that was the biggest thing. That’s what Campbell preached all week to us, is what does this game of football mean to you, and what’s your significance?
“I think, for us, it’s just the guys beside us, doing it one more time, the sport that we love, a kids’ game and to go out here and play ball.”
Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game: Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown 🏆
While St. Brown was grateful for the opportunity to play on Sunday, the Lions should be grateful that the wide receiver suited up, too. Brown had one of his best games of the season in the win, logging 11 receptions for 139 yards.
One of St. Brown’s receptions essentially tilted the game in the Lions’ favor in the final minute. With 42 seconds remaining, the wideout got open over the middle and turned Jared Goff’s intermediate pass into a 26-yard gain. The reception put the Lions down at the Bears’ 26-yard line, allowing them to run the clock down before Jake Bates kicked the game-winning 42-yard field goal as time expired.
St. Brown actually appeared on the Lions’ injury report this week, a rarity for him as he’s only missed two games in his NFL career. He missed one practice and was limited in two other practices due to knee and ankle injuries but, as he made clear to Brady post-game, there was no way he was missing Week 18.
“For me, it’s being available. That’s the biggest thing for my teammates,” he said. “At the end of the day, your availability is your best ability. To be out here with the guys, no matter if we’re undefeated or if we haven’t won a game all year, I want to be out there every week for my guys.
“That’s the biggest thing for me. I felt like this week, this game, I had some of the most fun that I had all year, just to be out here with the guys, playing the game that we love and to get this done is so great.”
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