5 Bold Predictions: Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions – Week 3

Amon-Ra St. Brown will carve up the Vikings’ secondary

The Lions have been looking for a dominant playmaker since Calvin Johnson retired, but they may have finally found their answer in Amon-Ra St. Brown.

St. Brown caught the game-winning touchdown in Minnesota’s loss at Detroit last year, and he has used that moment as a springboard for his career. In the eight games since the victory over the Vikings, St. Brown has caught 68 passes for 740 yards and eight touchdowns. The second-year receiver continued his dominance last week, catching nine passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns against the Commanders.

Meanwhile, Minnesota’s pass defense has been a mixed bag through the first two games of the season. Eagles receiver Quez Watkins used a miscommunication between Vikings safety Camryn Bynum and cornerback Cameron Dantzler to score a 53-yard touchdown in the loss on Monday night, and the Packers could have had a 75-yard touchdown that slipped through the hands of rookie wide receiver Christian Watson in Week 1.

Both of those plays happened with receivers lined up on the outside, but St. Brown presents a different challenge. The USC product has received two-thirds of his targets in the slot this season, which means he’ll be matched up with Chandon Sullivan, who is allowing a 107.9 passer rating on 10 slot targets in the first two weeks.

With Jameson Williams recovering from a torn ACL, the Lions don’t have a plethora of weapons in the passing game. But St. Brown is good enough to take advantage of a favorable matchup and it could lead to a big day for him on Sunday.