Detroit Lions Amon-Ra St. Brown vs. Chicago Bears Jaylon Johnson is the decisive duel

The Lions will try to get out of the slump on Thanksgiving when they face the Chicago Bears on Thursday.

Detroit, which hasn’t won on the holiday since 2016, is looking for its ninth straight win of the season. Meanwhile, Chicago, led by rookie passer Caleb Williams, looks to end its five-game losing streak.

If the Bears manage to pull off the upset win, Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson will play a key role.

Johnson, who was selected to the second team All-Pro a season ago, had a good start to his 2024 season. In 11 games, he recorded two interceptions, six passes defended and 30 total tackles, including four for loss. Additionally, he has a passer rating of 69.3 for passes thrown his way and a coverage grade of 63.8 in Pro Football Focus, including an overall PFF grade of 68.3.

On Thursday, he’ll likely be tasked with a decent amount of one-on-one reps with Lions All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. St. Brown, who has over 100 catches and 1,100 yards receiving for the third straight season, is on pace to have 71 catches for 747 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games this season.

The fourth-year pro also caught a career-best 83.5 percent of his passes and had eight consecutive games with a touchdown catch (Weeks 3-11). That eight-game stretch was capped by an 11-catch, 161-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11.

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St. Brown is dealing with a knee injury before the Thanksgiving matchup between Detroit and Chicago. Still, he’s expected to be ready to make a big contribution against the NFC North’s current cellar dwellers. And there’s a chance he also returns punts on Thursday in place of the injured Caliph Raymond.

Raymond was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday because of a foot injury suffered in the Lions’ Week 12 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Detroit added Maurice Alexander to the active roster on Wednesday, and he appears to be the likely choice as a punt returner.

“I think getting a punt return is probably one of the best feelings ever,” St. Brown told reporters earlier this week. “When I was in high school, I got returns and scored some points in high school. And that was always the most fun. I have seen Kalif, he has returned a few times and the joy he has is just amazing. Returning a punt would definitely be a major accomplishment in my career.”

I won’t go so far as to say St. Brown will have a big day as a punt returner on Thursday. But I believe he will have a solid performance as a pass catcher. I expect him to end up with six catches, 69 yards and a touchdown in a Lions win.