Jared

Goff

In true Lions fashion, Goff attempted just 28 passes versus 31 team rush attempts in a game they largely controlled throughout after going up 17-3 early in the second quarter. Most notably, Goff’s leading pass-catcher was third-year wide receiver Jameson Williams, whom Goff fed nine targets and was the recipient of his lone touchdown toss. The offense remained concentrated amongst the backfield, Sam LaPorta, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Williams, but the addition of another primary contributor could make weekly fantasy production more sporadic for the Lions moving forward. A two-minute drill field goal tied the game for the Lions after the Rams came roaring back to life in the second half. The Lions then won the coin toss in overtime and drove the field to score the game-winning touchdown, never giving the ball back to the Rams. Up next for Goff and the Lions is a home date with the Buccaneers in Week 2, a matchup that could tilt more production to the aerial game.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford heads back to his former home while Lions quarterback Jared Goff hosts his former team after freshly signing a four-year, $212 million contract extension. This will be a rematch of last season’s Wild Card game, where the Lions bested the Rams 24-23. Goff and Stafford were dealt for each other in 2021, with the Rams winning a Super Bowl and the Lions making it to the Conference Championship since then. This game will kick off Sunday Night Football for the season and will feature many fantasy-relevant players, including top receivers Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Goff was heading into the final year of a four-year extension he originally signed with the Rams in 2019. He was traded to the Lions in 2021, as the team was more than willing to take on his “bad” contract in what was the first year of a rebuild under head coach Dan Campbell. The Lions couldn’t have expected what has followed since acquiring Goff that offseason, as the former No. 1 overall pick has thrown for 12,258-78-27 in his three years with the team, leading them to two winning seasons, and a 12-5 record last season in which they reached the NFC Championship game. Goff’s success with the Lions has, at times, felt synonymous with the grit Campbell constantly mentions when referencing his team. A player who was once thought to be trending toward a role as a career backup has found new life in Detroit and, as a result, has been handsomely rewarded with another massive payday. Goff, who is now the second-highest-paid quarterback in the league on a per-year basis, will receive $170 million in guaranteed money on his new deal and is now under contract through 2027 with an option to remain with the team in 2028.

The Lions just signed Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown to massive extensions, but it sounds like Goff will have to wait. Schefter did note that the two sides have spoken about an extension, though “no deal is close at this time.” Goff is set to enter the final year of his current contract. After getting his team a few plays away from a Super Bowl appearance last year, he is rightfully looking for a new contract before the start of the upcoming season. Goff will become a free agent in 2025 if they don’t get a deal done. The Lions could place the franchise tag on him then as well.

Goff and the Lions dominated the first half and took a 17-point lead into the break before being kept off the scoreboard until the final minute of the game as they entered desperation mode against the 49ers. That said, a fumble by rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs and two dropped passes by Josh Reynolds in key situations, one on fourth down and one on third down, contributed to the poor second half performance. In addition to the previously mentioned stalled drives, the team added another turnover on downs on an incomplete pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown on fourth down before scoring while in desperation mode on a fourth down pass to Jameson Williams with under a minute left to play. That would account for each second half possession in the game. Even so, Goff ended the regular season as the QB7 in total fantasy points and QB15 in fantasy points per game, returning solid value at his depressed preseason cost. Goff and the Lions put together one of the best seasons in franchise history, ultimately coming just short of their first trip to the Super Bowl. Head coach Dan Campbell and the front office have put together an excellent offseason in each of the previous two years and now turn their attention to the coming 2024 season.

Goff’s two touchdown tosses — one to Amon-Ra St. Brown and another to Josh Reynolds — were enough to fend off the feisty Bucs and get the Lions to the NFC Championship Game against the 49ers. Goff was typically terrible under pressure, taking two sacks and avoiding a few others with desperation throwaways. Goff could run into serious trouble against the Niners’ ferocious pass rush next week. Look for the Lions to lean on the run and hide Goff’s many deficiencies against San Francisco.

Goff was triumphant in the emotionally charged game of revenge between two quarterbacks against their former teams, leading the Lions to their first playoff victory in 32 years. Detroit controlled the game throughout the first half which resulted in the low pass attempt value for Goff, although the veteran quarterback was able to toss a touchdown to tight end Sam LaPorta half way through the second quarter prior to the shift in offensive philosophy. The three-seed Lions host the winner of the Eagles-Buccaneers game in the Divisional Round next week.

Goff and the Lions will now hope for losses by the Eagles and Cowboys as they look to propel themselves into the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. Goff’s biggest play on the afternoon came on a 70-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown in the fourth quarter, but the veteran signal-caller was sharp throughout much of the afternoon, dicing up the Vikings to the tune of 448 yards while averaging 6.4 yards per play. With their regular season now over, Goff and the Lions will wait to see who they face on wild card weekend as they prepare for their first playoff game since 2016.

Goff was not at his best against a stout Dallas defense but led the team down the field with under two minutes remaining on the clock and no timeouts for what would have been a game-tying touchdown with 22 seconds remaining. Head coach Dan Campbell decided to go for the jugular and try and steal the victory away from the Cowboys, electing to go for two following the score. The Lions would convert the two-point try on a pass to a lineman but left guard Taylor Decker failed to correctly report as eligible which negated the conversion. As opposed to simply kicking the point after following the penalty, the Lions again went for two and were gifted a third try on an incompletion following a defensive offside. The final try would fall incomplete on a poorly thrown ball to backup tight end James Mitchell, securing the victory for the Cowboys. Detroit can fall no lower than the three-seed and could have nothing to play for in Week 18 against the Vikings should the 49ers and Eagles both win on Sunday.

The Lions also punched in three touchdowns on the ground, so Goff’s modest fantasy outing was not emblematic of his real-life performance. He completed 75 percent of his passes without throwing an interception. Goff also took just one sack. The win clinched the NFC North title for Detroit. It was the team’s first division title since the conferences were re-aligned. Goff gets a potential shootout with the Cowboys to close out the fantasy season, putting him on the QB1 radar for Week 17.