Sure, the Detroit Lions looked bad against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday evening, November 16, with their 16-9 loss in a slow-moving game. The offensive was totally out of sorts, and the Lions were 0-for-5 on fourth down in the defeat, so it’s easy to see those kind of plays and get down on the offensive leaders.
Some Detroit Lions followers are quick to point fingers at quarterback Jared Goff would be best to look at the real numbers and research. Following the loss to the Eagles, social media was lit up with comments from Lions loyalists who were putting the blame on anyone and everyone, but as the team’s quarterback, Goff got the brunt of it.
Of course, it’s not that simple. Remember that coach Dan Campbell took over play calling duties from offensive coordinator John Morton for this game, so having a totally new play caller could have easily made things difficult on Goff. But, aside from that, his numbers from this season are solid and speak for themselves, and that’s a point being made by Detroit Lions beat writer and analyst Mike Payton of A to Z Sports.
Don’t Make Detroit Lions Quarterback Jared Goff the Scapegoat
On Tuesday, November 18, Payton took to X to share his conclusions about Goff and the criticism that the quarterback has been getting. In the post, he makes it clear that he thinks the criticism is not founded.
“The mobile guys are getting sacked more than anyone,” Payton notes. “He also has a higher completion percentage under pressure than (Matthew) Stafford, (Patrick) Mahomes, and (Jordan) Love and the 8th highest passer rating. He’s not perfect, but he’s not the worst.”
For those who say Goff isn’t good in bad weather, Payton replies that the signal-caller has thrown for 15 touchdowns and four interceptions in cold weather as a Detroit Lions player. He’s also completed 64% of his passes in those games.
“His passing stats against winning teams are just as good, if not better than Mahomes,” he adds. “The guy you tell me is perfect in every way.”
He wraps up his post on X with a strong and poignant message: “You’re letting your emotions dictate your beliefs.” Payton adds, “Jared Goff had a bad game Sunday. No doubt about it. You’re crazy if you think this happens all the time and you’re crazier if you think they need to get rid of him now.”
Detroit Lions Followers Make Their Voices Heart
Followers were quick to make their thoughts known on Payton’s X post. “I file that loss under the Dan Campbell column. I get that his who ‘thing’ is being aggressive. But constantly passing up points or pinning your opponent back adds up. Doesn’t do the o line or Goff any favors,” one said. “If you compare Goff’s bad games to everyone’s else’s good games, then yeah he’s gonna be worse,” another said.
“Crazy how he can play MVP caliber football 90% of the time but people will still act like he’s the worst QB ever after one poor game,” another follower said on the team’s Instagram.
So, the moral of this story is that the NFL is complicated. You really can’t pin the Eagles loss on one person, and that person being Goff. Now, it’s time to move onto the New York Giants game, and let’s face it: The Giants are no Eagles. Even if we win this one, we’re going to have to be stronger, as an entire team, to really compete to the playoffs, and that’s not all on Goff.
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