The fireworks came early in Detroit. A 52-21 demolition of the Chicago Bears turned the Detroit Lions’ home turf into a touchdown carnival, headlined by wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown.

While quarterback Jared Goff carved up the field with five scoring passes, St. Brown stole the spotlight, dancing into the end zone three times. But one celebration had people holding their breath, and not for the usual reasons.

During his third touchdown, St. Brown faked a hamstring injury, collapsing dramatically before springing back to life. While it got a good laugh from his teammates, it also raised some eyebrows, considering the NFL’s strict rules against faking injuries. Under NFL rules, “deceptive injury tactics can draw heavy fines, loss of draft picks, or even suspensions.”

This moment brought back memories of a 2022 incident when fans accused Jessie Bates of faking an injury, which led to a league-wide warning.

St. Brown, though, quickly clarified there was no intent to deceive officials or stall play. He said:

“That’s just one of my celebrations. Fake hamstring pull, fall down, self-revive, get back up.”

He added that Goff knew about it, and only one staff member, Scottie, briefly thought he was actually hurt. His explanation helped calm speculation before it could flare into controversy.

Despite the questions, St. Brown’s performance was nothing short of spectacular. Jared Goff posted a near-perfect completion (82.1%) while carving up an overmatched Bears secondary. Amon-Ra St. Brown did the rest, hauling in nine passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns. Deep shots flew all afternoon. St. Brown opened with a 34-yard grab, then added 32- and 4-yard scores. 

It was the explosive attack that was missing in Week 1. And it came with history: St. Brown, Gibbs, and David Montgomery each scored, marking the ninth game they’ve done so, the most by any trio in NFL history. 

As Detroit gears up for a road game against the Baltimore Ravens, they can only hope that any limping from St. Brown remains purely for show.

Jared Goff silences critics as Lions crush Bears

For days, whispers were swirling around Jared Goff. Was he just a product of great systems, riding the shoulders of brilliant play-callers like Sean McVay and Ben Johnson? Or was that sluggish season-opening loss to the Green Bay Packers a sign of regression? On Sunday, Goff put those doubts to rest with a resounding no—and a statement win.

In front of a charged Detroit crowd, Goff shredded Johnson’s new Bears 52-21, tossing five touchdowns on 23-of-28 passing for 334 yards. He helped the Lions match their highest scoring total under Johnson and set a franchise record with 8.8 yards per play. His 156-passer rating fell just shy of perfection, and he didn’t miss a throw after halftime.

“We did everything better,” Goff said. “When we do it right, it should be explosive like it was today.”

The Lions needed it. After a sluggish Week 1, they came out determined to remind everyone they’re still one of the league’s most balanced rosters. New offensive coordinator John Morton dialed up a vertical attack that produced seven plays over 25 yards.

Amon-Ra St. Brown led the fireworks with a three-touchdown explosion, while Isaac TeSlaa reeled in a 29-yard highlight grab. Jameson Williams stacked chunk plays of 64 and 44 yards, and Jahmyr Gibbs gashed the defense with runs of 26 and 42.

The defense wasn’t just along for the ride.

Aidan Hutchinson finally broke his sack drought dating back to last October, while Marcus Davenport and Al-Quadin Muhammad cashed in on the attention he drew. Brian Branch had a monster day: sack, forced fumble… And also, an injury scare, but all’s well that ends well.

Then, who can forget the Kerby Joseph diving interception? No wonder why Caleb Williams struggled under relentless pressure.

Dan Campbell summed it up simply: “That was good. It wasn’t perfect… But that’s a step in the right direction.”