Sports

The NFL fined Amon-Ra St. Brown $12,172 for unnecessary roughness after the Detroit Lions star wide receiver took the first jab that ultimately led to a punch from Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne last week, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Payne was ejected for his retaliating hook after a Jahmyr Gibbs touchdown in the second quarter of the Lions' 44-22 win. The league issued Payne a one-game suspension the next day. While Payne appealed the suspension, it was upheld. He then posted footage Tuesday that provided more context than the broadcast showed last Sunday.

The video Payne shared on Instagram showed St. Brown taking a swipe at Payne's helmet a few plays before Payne threw the punch that got him in trouble with the league. 

St. Brown wasn't flagged despite the incident taking place in an official's line of vision.

After the game, Commanders defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw said he saw St. Brown hit Payne. He criticized NFL officials for the way the situation was handled, calling it "bulls***."

Kinlaw was fined $28,555 for unsportsmanlike conduct after he made contact with an official, per Pelissero, who additionally reported Saturday that Commanders rookie linebacker Ale Kaho was fined $46,371 for illegal use of the helmet. Kaho is out this week with a concussion.

As a result of Payne's suspension, he will miss the Commanders' Week 11 game against the Miami Dolphins and was ineligible to travel with the team to Madrid, Spain, for the international matchup.

Through nine games, St. Brown has hauled in 64 catches for 693 yards and 8 touchdowns. The wideout is well on his way toward posting his fourth-straight season with over 1,000 yards receiving and 100-plus catches. 

Since he was selected by the team in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, St. Brown has emerged as one of the game's best receivers and quarterback Jared Goff's favorite target. After a promising rookie season, in which he nearly gained 1,000 yards, thanks to a second-half breakout, St. Brown announced his presence on a national level in 2022, making his first of three straight Pro Bowl appearances.

He got even better the following season, exploding for 1,515 yards and his first of two straight All-Pro nods.

Dan Campbell took over play-calling duties from offensive coordinator John Morton and sparked a 44-point outburst against the reeling Washington Commanders last week.

This week, Campbell will be tasked with setting offensive fireworks in Philadelphia against the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles — and without his second-leading receiver.

He'll have to get used to the absence of tight end Sam LaPorta, too, because the Lions placed him on injured reserve on Saturday, meaning he'll miss at least four games with his back injury. 

LaPorta, a 2023 second-round pick, did not practice this week. He had pulled in at least five passes in four of the past five games, scoring all three of his touchdowns in that span.

Not only does the Iowa product rank second on the team with 489 receiving yards, but he's also second with 40 receptions on 49 targets.

LaPorta will be sidelined until at least Week 15, when the Lions head to Los Angeles to play the Rams. As for this week, Campbell expressed "sky-high" confidence in Detroit tight ends Brock Wright and Ross Dwelley.

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Of those two, Wright has had the bigger role this season. He's typically served as the Lions' No. 2 tight end and has logged nine catches, 71 receiving yards and 2 receiving touchdowns across the 6-3 Lions' nine games.

"Brock’s a guy we don’t talk a lot about, but he’s the jack-of-all-trades," Campbell said, via the Detroit Free Press. 

"He does everything for us: Pass protect, run block, he can run some routes, he plays special teams. He’s one of the most dependable players we have on this team. And at the end of the day, what you really need in the tight end position is versatility and smarts, and he’s got both of those – and he’s tough."

LaPorta hit the ground running as soon as he got to Detroit. He earned second-team All-Pro honors as a rookie, and he caught 60 passes for 726 yards and 7 touchdowns last season.

LaPorta is one of several Lions players who will be out Sunday night against the Eagles. Perhaps most notably, Detroit will also be missing safety Kerby Joseph and cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and D.J. Reed.