Detroit Lions players meet with the media | 2025 NFL Regular Season Week 14: Lions vs Cowboys

Hear from Detroit Lions wide receiver Tom Kennedy, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, tackle Taylor Decker, running back David Montgomery and wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa as they speak with the media after a 44-30 win over the Dallas Cowboys during Week 14 of the 2025 NFL season.

0:00 – 3:52: Tom Kennedy
3:53 – 10:29: Amon-Ra St. Brown
10:30 – 12:46: Taylor Decker
12:47 – 15:39: David Montgomery
15:40 – 17:01: Isaac TeSlaa

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Yeah, just talk about taking advantage of your opportunities. We talked about a little bit in locker room last week. When you when you get that opportunity just to make the most of it, you’ve certainly done that the last two weeks. How proud of yourself of of that fact? Uh yeah, I spoke to one of the reporters in the locker room just um anytime you’re up and playing, you just want to be able to to contribute in whatever way to help the team win. So, um just happy I’ve been able to do that. Honestly, a lot of good returns so far. I guess what what are you seeing on these returns that’s allowing you to kind of get loose, good blocking, you know, all it takes is, you know, one gap and if you find it, just trusting it, hitting it with speed and getting downhill. Get a lot of live reps and on the return stuff, I guess. What What is it like to go into a game kind of just feel that type of speed when guys are running at you like that? I think we do a good job in practice simulating it um you know as best you can without you know going to the ground. So um I would say yeah I mean it’s different than practice obviously any any play game is but um I think the coaches do a good job having us prepared as best we can be uh for that. So Tom at the beginning of every year it seems almost guaranteed that you’re going to be on this team in some way shape or form. What do you think it is about you that that just keeps having you come back that it just you’re the guy they don’t want to get rid of? Uh I think trust from the coaching staff. Um and then just you know when I do get an opportunity you know making the most of it. Um I think that’s it. Talked about the complimentary nature of the game today. All three phases really you playing apart. How difficult are you guys to beat when you get a complimentary performance like that from all three phases? I think the turnovers were huge. I think what do we win? Three to zero. So, I think anytime you do that in a game, um you know, we were able to contribute on special teams with some big returns, great blocking. So, um field position was definitely huge for us tonight. And I mean, anytime you could do that, you’re definitely um giving yourself a good chance in that game. Dan pointed to Z. Brown playing through the ankle injury is something you guys fed off of. How does that manifest itself in the moment? He’s he’s just one of our leaders. You know, he’s been since he stepped in the building. So, um I guess earlier we didn’t earlier in the week we didn’t know if he was going to go or not, but um once once we knew he was going to go, you you know it’s not I don’t know about everybody else, but I know what I expect of I didn’t like if he was out there, I expect Saint to be Saint and I think he was tonight. So, um just appreciate him and how he works and what he’s done honestly day in and day out for the last 5 years. So, can you give him give us some perspective on on what his week was like just, you know, obviously sharing the room with him and the work that he put in to be available this week? Uh, a lot of treatment, I’m guessing. Um, I don’t know what I really can or can’t say in terms of like the medical stuff. So, it’s okay. Um, he did he did enough to feel good enough to be able to play and look like himself. So, whatever he did worked and uh I guess shout out to our training staff, too. You guys put the ball in the air a lot uh in the first half. I think through a couple minutes of the third quarter, only six rushing attempts. How much was that emphasized during the week was putting the ball in the air and moving it, you know, in the passing game? I think Dan and the offensive staff has a vision for how they see the game going and we trust them and whatever they call it’s on us to, you know, make it come to life. So, feeling. How’s the ankle feel? It feels It feels decent. It doesn’t feel too bad. Um, took some medication, so that probably helps. Probably wear off tomorrow morning, but it feels doesn’t feel bad too bad right now. At what point did you know that you were going to be able to go? Um, I would say I like knew for sure the day before. So, yesterday. Um, but I had a pretty good feeling the day before that. So, what did it mean to be able to be out there in a game like this with so much on the line and to contribute and also just to see the offense kind of get right? It meant a lot. Um, and like I said before, for me it’s just no matter what the what our record was, whether we were undefeated right now or didn’t have a win, I was going to do everything to be out there. Um, just to be, you know, be out there for my guys. Um, like I said, I feel like availability is your best ability at the end of the day. So, um, my job is to be go out there and make plays and and be on that field. Um, it’s what they pay me to do. So, um, I was going to do whatever it takes to be out there and, you know, with the help of our training staff, they did a great job. Um, you know, I think they’re they’re amazing. Um, got me back. Um, was was working all week trying to get back and they and they got me right. I know on the defensive side of the ball, there was a lot of talk about Shep and Dan challenging that unit to get pressure and get turnovers. When they were able to do that and you guys were able to turn that into points, how gratifying is it? It’s amazing. Um, you know, anytime you can turn turnovers into points is big. It’s a big swing in this league. Uh, especially coming out of half, that was big for us. Um, you know, Barnes gets the pick. We were able to turn to seven points. Um, that’s huge. So, I anytime our defense gets turnovers, we feel like we got to go get points cuz those are I feel like difference makers for us as a team. Um, so I think defense played a heck of a game. Um, I mean, we were able to, you know, play complimentary football. I feel like I love the mentality, man, to step in and play no matter what the record is, but the fact of the matter is, I mean, you guys were fighting to keep your playoff hopes alive. How much did this team need to put a performance like this together to assert to yourselves, not to the outside world, but to yourselves that you’re capable of of this? Yeah, I think this was a big win for us. Um, you know, we’ve been kind of winning and losing these past, I don’t know, six, seven weeks. Um, so this was big. This is the first step. Um, win, you know, take care of this week. Um, we’ll enjoy for a few days and then, you know, get back next week to a really good opponent, probably maybe one of the best in the league right now, playing really well. So, we got another challenge coming up. Um, but for us, man, it’s, you know, we feel like feel like we can win every game in this league. It’s just a matter of, you know, us putting it, you know, putting it all together, playing complimentary football, clean football, um, executing details. I mean, everything. We just got to put it all together. But this is big for us. We see a lot of these performances from a team like Jir Gibbs, man. What is it like watching him when he making these moves, man, making today he’s showing stiff arm, making defenders miss, he’s doing things in town that haven’t been done since Barry Sanders. What was it like watching him and seeing him become the player he’s become this season and getting better and better from week to week? He’s special, man. um he’s one of the best um in this league. Uh just being able to, you know, be on the field with him. You never know what’s going to happen. So, you always got to make sure you’re blocking downfield cuz you, you know, it’ll look like he’s tackling and then he won’t be. Um so, he’s um we’re lucky to have him and, you know, I’m just I’m happy to be, you know, play with him. Did you think he’d be able to do as much as you did when you decided to play today? Did you think? No. So after the game I I heard it Thursday, Friday I couldn’t walk. U was on you know crutches. Uh Saturday could barely walk and then so like at that point I was like yeah I probably can’t play. This is like it hurts too bad. Um and then you know Sunday came around was able to walk. Felt a little better and then you know tried to jog and I couldn’t even do like a warm up. I couldn’t even do a skip. So I was like kind of down. I felt like you know probably not going to play. And then uh I think it was Tuesday came and it felt a lot better. Um and I was like, “Okay, I had a shot. I felt like I had a chance.” And then Wednesday I was like, “Okay, I think I can play.” Did you do anything on Monday or Tuesday that made that big turnaround? I just rested it honestly. Um you know, this type of injuries, you can’t really do much. You got to rest it. Um like I said, the training I was in the training room a lot. Training staff did a great job. um you know doing all different type of modalities and things like that but yeah Friday after the game I mean I couldn’t I couldn’t move. Did you uh discuss that the first play would go to you like once you decided to play like just get just the way it happened? Yeah it was kind of it’s kind of ironic. Were you happy once you took your first hit and you said it’s okay it works. You know how was that moment? It was I mean it was good. I mean I just I feel like I wasn’t I’ve been I haven’t been out for four or five weeks. Uh I just played the week before. I just got hurt early. So, it was good to get get the ball back in my hands and just get in a rhythm again. Can you speak that mentality? When do you know you can play through something and when it’s like when do you know it’s not going to do something that’s damaging down the road? Like, was that something you developed as a child or what? Like, how do you know when you can’t push something and it’s not too bad? Uh, I mean, I don’t know. I think everyone has a pain tolerance. Um, obviously there’s certain, you know, ligaments in your body that if you keep playing, you can maybe injure them more. Um, for me that really wasn’t the case with the injury that I had. It was just the pain that I couldn’t, you know, it’s either can you, you know, handle the pain or can you not? And I feel like I have a pretty high pain tolerance. Um, but, you know, early in the week I was tested. I was like, this is I don’t know if I can do this. And then it just got better and better and then I was able to come out and play. Can you walk us through what you’re holding right now? Oh, yeah. This is um my my sixth catch of of the game, which is uh the most catches ever in a player’s first five seasons. So, I passed Michael Thomas, which is um you know, I’m happy for this. I’m thankful um thankful to all the guys, Jared, the coaches, the O line. Um just everyone, man. I couldn’t do it without them. Dave, I know. Do you um I don’t know. Do special players marvel at other special players? Like when you’re watching Jaw, what do you kind of think with some of the things that he’s able to do out there? You stops on a dime and guy goes flying by him, stiffs arms a guy two plays later, whatever it Um he’s just I mean you can’t really teach that. I feel like he’s born with that. Um he’s gifted unlike any other. Um he can wake up out of bed and do that. So he’s like I said, you can’t teach that and at the end of the day there’s a reason why he’s so special and he can do stuff like that cuz not everyone can do that. And we all know that and we understand that and shoot we try to give him the ball as much as we can cuz he’s he’s special and he does things like that. And for us, man, as as his teammates, we got to make sure we take care of our guys cuz if we do, I mean, he’s liable to, you know, to pop any run. How do you how do you make sure you replicate this? You know, this is what a lot of people have been waiting for. I’m sure you guys included, you know, to look this crisp on offense. How do you make sure this this is the st, you know, this is what happens the next four games, too. Um, I mean, as far as like messaging, like like my thing this week was going to be you just got to win your one-on- ones. Like, you got to beat the guy over you. Like, that’s that’s, you know, be detailed in that. And don’t worry about, you know, necessarily don’t let coach worry about the big picture of how we’re going to call this game, how we’re going to attack this defense. Win your one-on- ones. Um, because that that’s a good front that they have, at least for us as an offensive line. So, we need to win our one-on- ones to still allow our skill guys to do do their thing. Um, then we know moving forward the D lines aren’t going to get worse. They might get better. Um, so just win your one-on- ones, you know, compete and be detailed. You’ve played through a lot of injuries, a lot of guys play through injuries, but what did you do when you guys found out that St. Bon will be playing for you as a team and knowing what this meant for your season? Well, I thought he was playing all along. Um, so it wasn’t really like a surprise to me. So, I don’t know. I I can’t I just like know him. I mean, he I I’ve been with him enough like I’m like oh, he’ll play. He’ll be fine. Like he’s a he’s a guy that he’s going to play unless he’s going to be on IR. Like there’s there’s no middle there’s no middle ground, you know? So, I wasn’t surprised. That’s what I thought. And to deliver the way you did, I mean, big catch at the end. Put you guys in position to make that, you know, like he’s he’s whatever is I mean, he’s one of the toughest he’s one of the toughest dudes. He’s absolute stud. like all the all the love, all the accolades, all it’s all deserved. He deserves all of it. I mean, he’s just does everything right. So, um obviously we’re happy happy that we got him. What what what can this do for you guys? What sort of, you know, jumping point can this be for the rest of the season? Um I mean, I think I think it just shows that we we can we control our own destiny. Um, but we know what kind of football we can play. Um, if we just go out there and we we execute and do our job. Um, I mean, it’s kind of a simple answer, but that’s the way I see it. David, when it comes to what this run game is able to produce when you and Jir are both firing. This is the 15th game. You guys have both scored scrimmage touchdowns in the most by any duo in the league. What does it mean to you guys to be in sync like that? Uh, I think when, you know, when me and him are able to both get going, I think our chances of winning are high. Um, so I think it’s good that me and him were able to get going today and hopefully we can continue to do so. Offensively, especially as this game continued to go on, this just felt like a lot more of the rhythm that the Lions are used to, especially with what the offense was able to control last year. How did it feel? Was there a difference in the message at halftime? Um, not necessarily. I mean, we also understood how small of a margin we have as far as like with errors. So, you understand how important this win was. So, we was kind of all locked in for whatever was to come. Also saw Kate Cunningham tap you up during warm-ups. What was that like to see him showing out even if he is a Texas boy? Yeah. Yeah. Um, it’s definitely dope to see, you know, different players from different professional sports within the city around cuz I know uh, you know, every chance we get to go to a game, we show up and show love. So, I think that’s super important to see them here, too. David, can you walk me through what you saw on your touchdown run and just how that came together for you? Yeah, you know, O line just did a great job opening it up for me. I just trust in my read like Tracy kind of tells me to do and I just was able to hit it. What is a Monrod like when he plays with that kind of pain? Probably. Yeah. Um everybody know who kind of got Saint is, you know, um don’t take the the easy road. He’s always the one who wants to, you know, kind of give everything he has. So like it’s no surprise to me seeing Saint be who Saint is. We saw you speak to what this victory means. I mean, given all the stuff that happened this past week and, you know, now how it sets you up for, you know, the last four games of the season. Yeah. Um, it was big. Uh, but we we take it one game at a time, one week at a time. Uh, win the first one and just continue to kind of roll here. So, uh, that’s our plan to kind of keep rolling here going forward. You also speak to the resiliency. I mean, obviously again, the team was through it’s been through a lot this year. I mean, and certainly it seemed to compound this past week and you guys kind of set it to his side and kind of were able to execute today. Yeah. I mean, I kind of think that’s who we are. You know, that’s how we play football. Also, you know, as long as we got time on the clock and we got games left to play, I think, you know, we always going to show up and perform every chance we get. Did you get did you get wind of some of maybe the doubt and panic from the fan base heading into this game? And do you think a win like this kind of calms a little bit of that down? Um, you know, fans are going to be fans. You know, I love them to death. Um, but, you know, they want us to win. We want to have success. We want to have success as much as they want us to have. So, um, this is definitely a big win. It was important, but we move on. Did this game feel different with the pressures on it now that we’re getting closer and closer to the end of the year? Uh, I wouldn’t say it felt too much different. Obviously, the pressure has been on for a little while. Obviously, we have a a tough stretch here. of teams, but I mean, we’re excited. Um, these are all huge games in terms of the playoff picture, so we just want to keep rolling the way we did tonight. And what’s it been like from your perspective? Again, eight catches, half them being touchdowns, making the most of the chances you get. How hard is it when it’s kind of touch and go from game to game? Yeah, I mean, it’s not hard. I’m very blessed to be in this position. So, I’m just going to do what I can to help this team out. Uh, whether it’s run game or pass game and catching touchdowns, but at the end of the day, I’m just grateful and that’s how I want to go out on the field and play. How did you feel like the offense was looking today? What’ you feel that was going on out there? Uh, I just felt like we had a nice balance uh run game, pass game. Uh, things were really opening up down the field. Obviously, J Mo and Saint made a lot of plays down the field, so that was huge for us. Um, but yeah, I mean, obviously we have a lot to clean up, a lot of uh stupid penalties that we can fix. So, uh, obviously we’re going to enjoy the couple days off here and then we’re going to lock in for the next week. Seems like it seems like Jared took a couple more shots to you more than normal. Just how does it feel to be more a little bit more involved in the pass game? Yeah, every week for me it’s just uh building trust with the offense, building trust with Jared. So um you know whether that’s in practice or out out on the field, whenever the ball comes my way, you know, I want to make a play. So I just want to keep doing that.