Amon-Ra St. Brown has been a winner throughout his life, finding motivation from any source he can. This week, it’s no surprise that he’s eager to face the San Francisco 49ers again.

Last January, in the NFC Championship Game, the Lions’ promising season ended in heartbreak when the 49ers came back from a 24-7 halftime deficit to win 34-31. This loss still lingers for St. Brown as one of the toughest of his career.

“I’ve had a few. In college, not too many big games, but in high school, when you think those are the biggest games of your life, I lost in the CIF during my junior year. That one stung, but I’d say the NFC Championship game is up there as one of my toughest losses. The way everything unfolded felt like a horror movie, but now we’re back. It’s a new year, and we have a chance to redeem ourselves, so we’re excited.”

Since the 49ers are out of playoff contention this year, the Lions won’t get another shot to face them in the postseason. Week 17 is the only opportunity to settle any remaining animosities, and St. Brown is clearly one of the players looking forward to it.

Dan Campbell isn’t concerned about the Lions needing extra motivation against the 49ers. While St. Brown always finds inspiration from any angle, Campbell doesn’t think the team needs a motivational speech about last season’s game.

“Honestly, I don’t think we need to tap into that. We know exactly where we stand and who we’re about to face. I haven’t done a deep dive yet, but I know they’ve had injuries. However, I also know their head coach is excellent. Their system has been in place for years, and their defense is top-tier. They can always pressure the quarterback and disrupt your offensive line. They run hard, hit hard, and force turnovers. Offensively, their scheme will identify your weaknesses and exploit them, slowly building toward big plays. They’ll rely on the run game and play-action passing, so we’ve got our hands full. This will be a tough game, but we know exactly what we’re up against, and we know we need to win to move on to the next challenge.”

Campbell understands that the Lions must show up and perform against San Francisco if they want to keep their hopes of securing the NFC’s top seed alive. Even though St. Brown is fired up from last year’s loss, Campbell knows the team has plenty of motivation

on its own.