Alarm bells are going off after the Detroit Lions' disastrous 16-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and at the center of it all is quarterback Jared Goff.
With a career low completion percentage performance full of batted down passes and fourth down stops, fans are once again beginning to question if Goff truly is the QB that can lead this franchise to the promised land.
On Tuesday, Goff spoke with 97.1 The Ticket and addressed Sunday's loss as well as numerous concerns that have been raised after that game. Yes, that includes the gloves. Lions fans are already conditioned from the Matthew Stafford era to believe gloves have a strong negative impact on QB play, but Goff doesn't see it that way:
"Yeah, I've been wearing them for a while. I had some of my best games wearing them. Yeah, I think when it's cold or windy and it's a little dry out, it helps me a lot. But, no, yeah, I think it's funny that, you know, games that go well, it doesn't get asked about, but no, I understand. I understand. We didn't play well. I didn't play well, so got to be better."
Over the years, Goff has built up a reputation for being a poor outdoor QB. While the splits do point to a noticeable drop off in areas like completion percentage (-5.3% from dome games) and passer rating (-10.6), other numbers, such as his pass yards per game (-1.6) and win percentage (-0.03%), are virtually identical.
Goff remains optimistic about his connection with Amon-Ra St. Brown and the rest of the season
With a potentially division-deciding game in Week 18 in Chicago and a likely playoff road that includes outdoor games, fan anxiety is understandable. That anxiety has been underscored lately by an alarming disconnect between Goff and the typically reliable wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
On Sunday's loss, Goff targeted St. Brown 12 times, with the All-Pro WR only catching two of those targets. St. Brown has five dropped passes on the season, three shy of his career high of eight in 2023. His five drops are tied for the sixth most in the NFL, but Goff isn't concerned about his connection with his star receiver:
"I don't think anything feels off, except for this past week. I was off trying to get him the ball, and he's playing well, man. I got to find ways to get it to him in space and keep it more accurate in some of those instances. I have been in my career, so not something I'm worried about, but last week was a little bit off. And prior to that, I don't think there's been any issue."
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At the conclusion of the interview, Goff was asked to share his message to fans who may be concerned with where things stand:
"We got everything in front of us. We're just fine. We're 6-4. Obviously, want to get that W last week, but we didn't. Didn't do enough to win, and everything is in front of us. Got some time to be home now for a few games, and hopefully get on a little bit of a stretch here, but it starts with the Giants."
It's a clichéd response, and fans may be getting tired of hearing that "everything is in front of us" over and over because, eventually, what's in front of the Lions will be the offseason. It's crunch time, and to use a different cliché, "diamonds are made under pressure." Few in the NFL are feeling the pressure more right now than Goff and the Lions.