Among the many things the Detroit Lions thrived at during the 2024 NFL season, catching the ball really stood out. The Lions receivers were fantastic at not dropping balls from quarterback Jared Goff.
The Lions finished second in drop rate in 2024, trailing only the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Pro Football Reference tabulated 12 dropped passes on 551 targeted pass attempts, producing a drop rate of 2.2 percent. By way of comparison, Jerry Jeudy and Amari Cooper — teammates on the Cleveland Browns for the first half of the season — each topped Detroit’s total of 12 on their own.
Amon-Ra St. Brown is known for his sure-handedness, and that was true in 2024. St. Brown finished second in the NFL with 115 catches on 141 targets, with four drops credited to No. 14. That drop rate of 2.8 is actually higher than the Lions’ team average, but it still puts the All-Pro with the third-lowest drop rate among wideouts in the top 20 in receptions.
The team’s drop rate improved considerably. Detroit netted a drop rate of 6.1 percent in 2023, with 35 drops on the season. St. Brown lowered his personal drop rate from 2023, when he posted a 4.9 rate with eight drops on 164 targets. The Lions team drop rate in 2023 was the fifth-worst in the league.
Lions passing game targets by drops and drop rate:
Special mention goes to RB David Montgomery, who did not have a dropped pass among his 38 passing targets. Wideout Kalif Raymond also went drop-free on his 22 targets.
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: The Lions receivers excelled at not dropping the ball in 2024
Reporting by Jeff Risdon, Lions Wire / Lions Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
