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Slay Responds to St. Brown’s “What-If” Scenario
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay still has a deep appreciation for the Detroit Lions, but when it comes to hypothetical debates, he’s not entertaining them—especially the one recently brought up by Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
On the St. Brown Brothers podcast, the star receiver speculated about how a fully healthy Lions defense might have fared against the Eagles in the NFC Championship. But Slay, fresh off a dominant Super Bowl LIX victory, wasted no time shutting that conversation down.
“We Took Our Loss Like Champs”
Slay, a former second-round pick by the Lions in 2013, addressed not only St. Brown’s comments but also the broader narrative that Detroit was “close” to Philadelphia’s level.
“I’m just on a rampage now, because this is what it is. After we won, all I see on the internet is, ‘Oh, we’re this close to the Eagles,’” Slay said on his podcast. “Our boy in Detroit, I love him, I love St. Brown. I think he’s an amazing receiver. I saw him say, ‘Yeah man, we’ll see what we’d have done with a healthy defense.’ All kind of crazy stuff.”
For Slay, the postgame discourse felt all too familiar—similar to how teams have taken shots at Kansas City over the years.
“We took our (butt)-whooping like a champ and went about our day,” Slay continued. “You didn’t hear us complain about, ‘Oh, the field was slippery.’ Nah, we didn’t say none of that (expletive). We just took that (expletive) like a champ because they put their shoes on just like we had to put our shoes on. They were on the same field just like we were on the same field.”
The Only True Threat? The Rams
While dismissing the Lions’ hypothetical challenge, Slay did acknowledge one team that he felt had a legitimate shot at beating the Eagles in the postseason—the Los Angeles Rams.
“I think the Rams had the best chance of beating us in the whole postseason, in my opinion,” he said. “Because they was complete. They could get after the quarterback, but they couldn’t stop the run as good. They had a great offense and was great at what they did.”
Slay Still Has Love for Detroit
Despite his strong response to St. Brown’s comments, Slay made it clear that his connection to Detroit remains strong.
“A lot of teams that was saying a lot of stuff—besides Detroit, Detroit showed they—two years ago, they did great in the postseason, went to the NFC Championship. This year, they didn’t do too well. But Detroit, I’ve got nothing but love for y’all. Don’t get that twisted,” Slay said.
He doubled down on his support, emphasizing that the only time he wouldn’t root for the Lions was when they played against the Eagles.
“Do not get that twisted, I love y’all. I was rooting for y’all all across the board. Only time I don’t root for y’all is when y’all play us. So Detroit, I love you, don’t get that twisted.”
Looking Ahead to the 2025 NFL Kickoff
The Eagles will begin their Super Bowl title defense on September 4 at Lincoln Financial Field, kicking off the 2025 season.
St. Brown expressed his desire to see the Lions take on the Eagles in the season opener, but Slay was quick to remind him that it wouldn’t be the same matchup—and that the Lions wouldn’t have won last season, regardless.
“That team is not going to beat this team,” Slay stated. “Win, lose or draw, you wake up and you say, ‘Oh yeah, this is what would’ve happened if we would’ve played them last year.’ No, you wouldn’t have, because that’s a different team. So get that out your head.”
Slay further emphasized the ever-changing nature of the NFL, pointing out that rosters shift dramatically from year to year.
“People will say, ‘Oh, we’ll see them next year.’ Well, you’re not gonna see us next year. You’re not gonna see the same team next year, you’re not, you’re f*****g not. People are gonna be gone, people are gonna get money. Free agency coming up, money coming up. It’s not gonna be the same team.”
The Debate Rolls On
While Slay firmly dismissed any “what-if” scenarios, the debate between players and fan bases will likely continue. But one thing is certain—the Eagles were crowned champions, and in Slay’s eyes, that speaks for itself.