By Blessing 
The Detroit Lions entered the 2024 postseason with sky-high expectations. After a dominant regular season that saw them finish with a league-best 15 wins and clinch the No. 1 seed, many believed this was finally their year. But despite the momentum, things unraveled in shocking fashion during the divisional round when they were knocked out in a 45–31 loss to the Washington Commanders.
Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown sat down with Kevin Hart on the new season of Cold As Balls, presented by Hartbeat and OBB, and opened up about what really went wrong in that devastating playoff defeat.
“Washington, they played a good game,” St. Brown admitted while sitting in a cold tub across from Hart, who looked far less comfortable. “We had some turnovers, you wish you could have those back, but they took care of the ball better than us. I think that’s what it came down to. We had four or five turnovers, I don’t think they had one.”
Hart, ever the passionate Philadelphia Eagles fan, couldn’t resist rubbing a little salt in the wound as St. Brown talked through the loss.
While St. Brown remained composed and focused in the ice bath, Hart was visibly shivering — and grinning, especially when it came time to bring up his Eagles’ recent success.
The Lions’ undoing was largely due to uncharacteristic mistakes, particularly from quarterback Jared Goff. Goff, who had been efficient all season, threw three interceptions in the game and also lost a fumble. Before that, he had only one game all year with more than three picks and had never lost a fumble, despite six fumble incidents throughout the season. Turnovers hadn’t plagued Detroit in the regular season, but they proved costly when it mattered most.
Despite the loss, St. Brown turned in a standout performance, hauling in eight catches for 137 yards — leading all players in both categories. Still, he wasn’t able to find the end zone, and the Lions were once again left with a postseason exit that stung deeply.
In his talk with Hart, St. Brown didn’t shy away from taking accountability. He made it clear that ball security — or the lack of it — was the difference-maker in what could have been a deeper playoff run.
You can catch the full episode of Cold As Balls on the LOL! Network YouTube channel, with new episodes dropping every Tuesday.