Rain, doubt or pressure, none of it matters to the naggingly brilliant Jared Goff

Jared Goff has led his team to a 7-1 record this season. Photograph: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

The Detroit Lions are the best team in the NFL. They walked into a stormy Lambeau Field on Sunday and did what legitimate contenders do: handled their business against a talented yet inconsistent opponent, winning 24-14 on the road against the Packers.

There is plenty of credit to go around. Dan Campbell’s culture. The aggressive fourth-down calls. A pass rush that is still sizzling despite losing Aidan Hutchinson for the season. The team’s versatile secondary. The “Sonic and Knuckles” running back duo. Ben Johnson’s creative play-calling. The best offensive line in the NFL. But it’s time to recognize the person who makes it all tick: Jared Goff.

The 30-year-old may not be the best quarterback in the NFL, but he’s perfect for these Lions. And with each passing week this season, he continues to climb up the quarterback ladder. In two seasons, he’s gone from a quarterback that a team can win in spite of to the foundational piece for a franchise with Super Bowl expectations.

On Sunday, he completed 18 of 22 passes for 145 yards in gnarly conditions, throwing a crucial touchdown on fourth down to cap Detroit’s opening drive. It was vintage Goff, a quarterback in complete command of the offense, refusing to take negative plays and keeping the offense on schedule, offering a timely reminder that good quarterback play often resides in the absence of spectacle. He may not always produce fireworks, but in the parlance of shouty, TV talking heads: Goff plays winning football.

When asked recently about what the team saw in Goff when they traded for the quarterback in 2021, Campbell pointed to his head and then chest. “That’s what makes him a dangerous player,” Campbell said. “It’s what makes him one of these guys you can build around because he’s a winner, man. He will find a way to win.”

It’s easy to say Goff is merely a product of the Lions’…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/rain-doubt-pressure-none-matters-080008752.html

Author : The Guardian

Publish date : 2024-11-04 08:00:08

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