Lions All-Pros want more than just 1 win: ‘It’s time to kick that (bleep) down’

DETROIT — The foundation of the Detroit Lions was set when they landed Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown in the 2021 NFL draft.

That was the first draft with Brad Holmes as general manager and Dan Campbell as head coach. Holmes and Campbell have always pointed to Sewell as the cornerstone piece where this rebuild was built upon. And St. Brown was a home-run fourth-round steal, who is one of the game’s most bankable wideouts three years into his career, another Holmes masterclass.

And in the same week the pair became first-team All-Pros for the first time, they helped fuel the Lions to their first postseason win in more than 30 years. The Lions beat the Los Angeles Rams 24-23 in the wild-card round, and the pair of blue-chippers want more than just one.

“Finally, man. Just, finally. Being in these games, being in these moments feels good,” Sewell said in the locker room. “And when I first got here, I knew that was the goal, just to get our foot in the door. But now that we’re in, it’s time to kick that (expletive) down.”

The last time the Lions produced two All-Pro players from the same draft class was with defensive lineman Alex Karras and linebacker Wayne Walker back in 1958.

Being part of the foundation as Brad Holmes’ first first-round pick in the big chair around these parts is something Sewell takes to heart, as well. The 23-year-old (!) right tackle told MLive after the win that the love this franchise has shown him only pushes him to be better.

“It’s truly a blessing just because of the trust and the amount of love they kind of show, and all I want to do is just give back,” Sewell said. “It just motivates me to do it better, even more, and the sky’s the limit, truly.

“I always believe there’s another level that you can tap into. No matter how high it is, no matter how far, if you really want it as bad as you really want it, you can do it.”

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Sewell set the tone early. The right tackle was moving bodies and paving lanes as the Lions scored touchdowns on their first three possessions. And it was Amon-Ra St. Brown to put the game away late, with the clutch reception on second-and-9 after the two-minute warning.

“Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time moments,” Sewell said. “It’s simple as that.

“Nothing but proud of the guy (St. Brown) and just expect it at this point. Every time JG (Goff) and Amon-Ra get in their flow, it’s one of the best out there.”

St. Brown finished with seven catches for 110 yards in his playoff debut. His bright blue hair might be here to stay after a showing like that, too. It was the Sun God to be the most consistent piece for the Lions after a hot start for David Montgomery and Josh Reynolds.

And in very on-brand fashion, all seven of St. Brown’s receptions moved the chains, with three of those on third down and another on the game-clinching connection in the final minutes.

“I think it was a whole group effort, offense, defense, special teams,” St. Brown said. “On offense, we came out and scored three times, and then kind of stalled out. Defense, they were letting up points, but we’re scoring. Then we didn’t score and they got stops that we needed most. And that special teams punt, I mean Jack Fox took the field crazy two or three times. So, just everyone together, it was a group effort and that’s where this game ended up.”

And while the Sun God doesn’t have the long-term history and feelings associated with the Lions and their historical shortcomings. St. Brown felt some of that in 2021, and all he needed to do was look around inside of Ford Field after their wild-card win for an idea of what it meant to their supporters.

“You see after the game, they stayed,” St. Brown said of the fans. “They waved to all the players as they got off the field. They were loud all game, amazing. I don’t know how many timeouts they caused, but I mean, you see at the end, how big that was. They had one timeout left. So, being able to be here with the fans and be so into it, so loud.

“I know they’ve been waiting for this forever. So, I’m glad to give them this.”