His time was coming. "I'm glad he finally got his moment," said Amon-Ra St. Brown. Tim Patrick had a night that he that he earned in the Lions' primetime win over the Packers. He got a game ball to go with it.
"And not just one touchdown, but two touchdowns," said St. Brown. "I know how much it means to him, especially after what he’s gone through with the injuries. Came here, got something fresh, new start and he’s been awesome for us. Shoot, I don't know if we win this game without him."
Four months ago, Patrick was released by the Broncos. He hadn't played a game in two years after a torn ACL wiped out one season and a torn Achilles wiped out another. He had several suitors as a free agent given his resume, and he signed with the team where he'd face the steepest climb. The Lions are a Super Bowl contender with several mouths to feed in a highly intricate offense. Patrick is starting to eat.
"I chose to come here because I knew it was going to be rough in the beginning but it had the ability to be really special at the end if I am the player who I thought I was," he said. "And it’s turning out as planned."
With his 6'4 frame, strong hands and a keen feel for the field, Patrick is what Jared Goff likes to call a "friendly" target. He spotted a sign in the first row of the crowd behind one of the end zones during pregame warmups Thursday night with the words Lambeau Leap crossed out in favor of Lions Leap. The fans holding it kept telling Patrick, "Come to it, come to it."
"And I was very confident for some reason," he said. "I was like, 'Yeah, I got you on that.'"
With the Lions trailing 28-24 in the fourth quarter and facing third and goal from the 1, Patrick got open over the middle and Goff wasted no time getting him the ball. And Patrick wasted no time making good on his word. He found the sign and jumped into the crowd, which hugged him as it roared. Patrick would say later, "I dream about these moments -- I day-dream about these moments -- so I’m just thankful I’m living in the moment now."
Each of his six catches felt like a big one. Even his first target, which sailed incomplete out of the back of the end zone, drew an illegal contact penalty and set up David Montgomery's touchdown on the game's opening drive. Patrick's next end zone target came on fourth and goal after the Packers had pulled ahead in the third quarter, a pitch and catch with Goff that put the Lions back in front.
His final catch of the night pushed the ball into Packers' territory on Detroit's game-winning drive. His final contribution was a key block on Montgomery's fourth-down run a few plays later. Goff called Patrick a stud. Dan Campbell called him "an unbelievable addition." Patrick said he "just fits to what the offense needs."
"I’m not stubborn in my approach," he said. "I’m learning what the offense wants and I’m just translating my game into that."
The coaches stressed the importance this week of "catching and knifing" against the Packers defense, said Campbell, knowing that every yard would be important: "Catch, turn, and run. If you can only get five, you gotta get us six. If you can only get seven, you gotta get us eight. And man, he did that multiple times."
Patrick flew mostly under the radar over his first couple months with the Lions, which was fine by him. He didn't come here for attention. He has two motivations: to win and to prove that he can come back even stronger from his injuries. The Lions have won 11 straight, and Patrick couldn't help but smile when he entertained a crowd of cameras and microphones in the locker room.
"They journey was long, but it was worth it. It made me the man I am today and it brought me here to Detroit," he said. "I’ve won the most games I’ve won in my career, just had a two-touchdown performance on Thursday Night Football, I got, like, 30 reporters in front of me right now. I’m blessed for this team."
As Patrick puts it, the Lions have "two No. 1 receivers, two No. 1 backs, two No. 1 tight ends, a top-five quarterback and the best O-line in football." And they officially have the No. 3 receiver they lost last offseason when Josh Reynolds departed for Denver. Who knew his replacement would be coming the other way. Patrick has many of the same qualities as Reynolds, and even more physicality.
"I’m just going to keep getting stronger throughout the season, and hopefully I peak at the right time," he said.
"I'm so happy he's on our team," said Goff.
"He deserves everything," said St. Brown. "He's worked so hard for this. This is not the end, though. He’s still going, we’re still going."