Jared Goff scored one of the coolest touchdowns of the season on Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs. He motioned out wide and received a pass from David Montgomery, while Amon-Ra St. Brown delivered a perfect block to help him reach the end zone. The only issue was that it was flagged for illegal motion, nullifying what would have been an amazingly creative play.
Advertisement
Naturally, because it came against the Chiefs, fans thought the penalty was controversial. This recent incident also adds to the ongoing perception that the team often gets calls in their favor. On top of that, the flag on Sunday’s play came very late, as if someone had contacted the refs telling them to call a penalty.
Hear it from St. Brown, who talked about the crazy sequence on his podcast, though even he wasn’t sure what Goff did wrong.
“I’m still not 100% positive what the rule is. I guess, I don’t know what it is, but you’ve got to get set? I don’t know,” said the wideout on the St. Brown Podcast.
That is indeed what the rule states. If a quarterback is under center, they need to back up and establish themselves as a runner (by pausing for at least a second) before being allowed to start the play in motion. Goff didn’t do this. He immediately ran to the outside, which drew the flag.
Still, the timing of the flag was the main talking point. It came very late. According to Lions HC Dan Campbell, the call came from the refs in New York watching on TV, taking the wind out of their sails in the process.
“The craziest part is like we’re all celebrating. We get to the sideline, we sit down, we’re all done. And then they blow the whistle. I’ve never seen a flag come in that late,” St. Brown himself shared.
It must have been a tough situation to overcome mentally. Suddenly, the Lions were going for it on fourth down, or at least acting like they were. After taking a delay of game penalty for trying to draw offsides, they settled for a field goal.
That wasn’t the moment of the game that bothered St. Brown the most, though. He later pinpointed a key drop he had on fourth down in the second quarter, which he felt would’ve made a big difference.
“I think that 4th down drop that I had was crucial. I gotta have those, gotta make those. I feel like if I catch that, the whole game is different.”
“I think that 4th down drop that I had was crucial. I gotta have those, gotta make those. I feel like if I catch that, the whole game is different.”@amonra_stbrown gives his thoughts on the Lions’ 30-17 loss to the Chiefs ️ pic.twitter.com/DP0BmUvP66
— St. Brown Podcast (@StBrownPodcast) October 15, 2025
St. Brown sounded upset with the missed chances and is itching to bounce back. He finished the game with 9 catches for only 45 yards and no TDs. It wasn’t a bad day at the office by any means, but it was subpar for his standards.
However, the Lions’ next game is against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which will be another primetime contest on Monday Night Football. It’s a tough road ahead, having to compete against the leading MVP candidate, Baker Mayfield.
But the Bucs are dealing with a litany of injuries at skill positions, so it’s going to be equally tough for them as well. Look for St. Brown and the Lions to come out aggressive, with redemption on their minds.
