Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had himself a strong outing in the team’s 44-22 Week 10 win over the Washington Commanders.
The fifth-year wide receiver out of USC racked up five catches for 58 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter that really broke the game open. St. Brown was one of three pass catchers on the team that totaled five or more catches on the night, as the Lions moved to 6-3 on the season, which has them tied for first in the NFC North. However, the 26-year-old star receiver found himself in some hot water following his score.
With the game taking place at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, President Donald Trump was in attendance. His appearance at the game made him the first sitting president since 1978 (Jimmy Carter) to attend a regular-season game.
So, knowing that Trump was in attendance, St. Brown opted to do Trump’s shimmy dance after he scored, a decision he apologized for on a recent episode of the “St. Brown Podcast.”
“First of all, if I offended anyone, I do apologize,” St. Brown said. “I did not mean to offend anyone. It was just, we’re having fun. If any president was at that game and had a dance, I would have done it. It had nothing to do with who the president was.”
With his apology out of the way, he and the Lions are now likely focused on the team’s Week 11 clash with the Philadelphia Eagles (7-2) on Sunday.
The game will kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET and air on NBC/Peacock.
Despite playing most of the season without several star players including quarterback Brock Purdy, tight end George Kittle, receiver Ricky Pearsall, and defensive end Nick Bosa, the San Francisco 49ers have a respectable 6-4 record and are just one game behind the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks for the NFC West division lead.
The injury-ravaged 49ers have been hit particularly hard on offense with injuries to two QBs, a running back, five different WRs, a tight end, and two offensive linemen.
Aside from losing Bosa and All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner to season-ending injuries, the roughest part of the 49ers’ season just may be the fact that WR Brandon Aiyuk still hasn’t played a snap.
The 27-year-old is still recovering from torn ACL and MCL injuries suffered in Week 7 of last season against the Kansas City Chiefs.
49ers general manager John Lynch initially told reporters during the preseason that he expected Aiyuk to be back by Week 7 of the regular season. But days before the team’s Week 11 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, Lynch dropped a not-so-promising update on the All-Pro wideout.
“That’s not the intention, the intention is to get Brandon back,” Lynch told KNBR when asked if this season would be a redshirt year for Aiyuk. “We’re not there yet, we just got to get him to a place where we’re comfortable opening that window, and see if he can make it back on the field. That is the intention. But we’ll see, no absolutes there.”
Aiyuk has been practicing with the team for weeks, but he reportedly needed more time than the team initially believed for his ACL to fully heal.
When healthy, Aiyuk is arguably one of the NFL’s 10 best wide receivers. He posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023, totaling 75 or more catches and seven or more touchdowns both years.
But without the dynamic receiver, the 49ers’ WR corps leaves much to be desired.
Pearsall, the team’s first-round pick last season, has missed six games due to injuries and logged just 20 catches for 327 yards.
Though the 49ers lead the NFL in receptions (249) and receiving yards (2,737), the bulk of that production has come from running backs and tight ends.
In fact, 60% of San Francisco’s receptions and 49% of its receiving yards have come from Christian McCaffrey, Kittle, Jake Tonges, Kyle Juszczyk, Luke Farrell, and Brian Robinson Jr. — further emphasizing Aiyuk’s importance to the passing game.
McCaffrey, a running back, leads the team in every receiving category including receptions (69), targets (90), receiving yards (692), and touchdowns (4). The 49ers’ leading WR is Kendrick Bourne (31 catches, 482 yards), and he didn’t join the team until Week 2.
Aside from McCaffrey, the 49ers don’t have a receiver who ranks in the top 35 in the NFL in receiving yards or the top 60 in receptions.