Jared Goff is the quarterback to lead the red-hot new Detroit Lions, and this is a hill I’m willing to die on.
One of the biggest trades in Detroit Lions history went down in 2021, when the Lions traded quarterback Matthew Stafford for Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff and a collection of draft picks. Now, Goff is performing at the top of his game. He’s a major reason why the Lions have won five of their past six games, a feat not many NFL teams can brag about this season.
Goff had a rough season in 2021 with the Lions, and that trend continued for the team’s 1-6 start. But, he always had the skills and stats. In fact, those losses weren’t really his fault. When the Lions lost, even if Goff didn’t have a perfect performance, those losses were not because of him. They were more about a lack of defense early on.
Now, Goff has help turn this team around. He’s thrown eight touchdowns against zero interceptions in his last five games. He threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns to take Detroit to a 34-23 win on Sunday (Dec. 11) against the Minnesota Vikings. No interceptions during the game from Goff, either.
“I would say it’s grown as the season’s gone on,” Detroit Lions head coach Campbell told Sports Illustrated of his confidence in his quarterback. “And I would just say, you know, I had a lot of confidence in his ability to move the football and to get us in the right place and to be efficient.”
He added, “But there was things early, you know, when we were really trying to, man, we’re trying to outscore, really trying to push the ball or there’d be times where a little bit, you’re holding your breath, you get the risk but man careful with it and it bit us a little bit and, for any quarterback, that’s a hard spot to be in because you don’t want to do it. But yet, you know, you need to score, that’s kind of where we were at. And I don’t feel that way. I’ve lost that feeling.”
Goff feels confident now. He feels comfy. And he should.
“I feel as comfortable as I’ve ever felt, for sure,” Goff told NFL.com. “The confidence that I’ve built in these receivers in the last three or four weeks has grown so much. I trust them so much now and can throw things in tight windows, and they trust me to put the ball where needed. The line is playing great, too. It all works together.”