Lions' Jared Goff explains Amon-Ra St. Brown issue

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff spoke with reporters this week about why star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is seeing a decline in his production. 

St. Brown was held to three catches for 21 yards in this past Sunday's loss to the Chicago Bears after St. Brown recorded only two receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown in the Week 13 win over the New Orleans Saints. 

"Well, the Saints game, they doubled him," Goff explained, as shared by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "[The Bears] paid a little bit more attention to him...I don’t believe they quite doubled him. But yeah, it’s what good players get. Good players get doubles often and he’s gotten that at times this year and sometimes he’s able to beat the double and it doesn’t really matter, but yeah, trying to get him the ball in different ways."

Detroit lost two of its past three games to fall to 9-4, and the Lions enter Week 15 holding the No. 3 seed for the NFC portion of the playoffs. Meanwhile, ESPN stats show that St. Brown began Thursday ranked eighth in the NFL with 1,063 receiving yards, tied for seventh with 87 receptions and 11th with 123 total targets on the season. He's also contributed six touchdown catches. 

Goff suggested St. Brown will see plenty of looks during the home game against the 7-6 Denver Broncos this Saturday night. 

"He’s been very accountable of things that he feels like he can do better and then for me as well, I’m very much just talking to him about ways that I want to try to do better for him and get him the ball in certain ways a little bit better than we have in the last couple weeks," Goff added about St. Brown. "But he’s one of the best guys I’ve ever been around and have no doubts that he’s going to be just fine, and we’ll finish this season off pretty well."

As of Thursday afternoon, oddschecker listed the Lions as 4.5-point favorites against the Broncos.