Jared Goff doesn’t have ice running through his veins. He has alligator blood, and it’s pumping up the Detroit Lions for another NFC playoff run.
The veteran quarterback has been so accurate and productive the past three weeks that Goff now shares space in the NFL record book with elite passers such as Aaron Rodgers, Kurt Warner and Roger Staubach.
Goff completed 22 of 25 passes for 280 yards, two touchdowns and zero turnovers Sunday in leading Detroit to a thrilling 31-29 victory over the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in the season’s first clash between NFC North Division heavyweights.
As heart-thumpers go, this was a beauty. The Vikings and Lions traded big plays, big mistakes and big momentum swings on both sides of the ball throughout an entertaining three hours.
Lions rookie kicker Jake Bates converted a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining to hand Minnesota (5-1) its first loss of the season and lift Detroit (5-1) into first place in the NFC North. But it was Goff’s performance that was most heroic.
He spearheaded four consecutive touchdown drives to erase a 10-0 deficit as Detroit racked up 202 yards in the second quarter and forced the Vikings to play from behind for the first time since the opening minutes of their Week 1 win over the New York Giants.
It was the third straight game Goff posted a 140-plus passer rating — the first time that has happened since Rodgers turned the trick in 2011 with Green Bay. Only Warner (1999) and Staubach (1971) have done the same in respectively leading the St. Louis Rams and Dallas Cowboys to Super Bowl championships.
Goff said the Vikings “came out with their hair on fire and punched them in the teeth.” Thanks, mostly, to an insanely aggressive choice by Detroit coach Dan Campbell to attempt a fake punt at his own 33-yard line on the game’s first series.
The gamble failed spectacularly, spoon-fed Minnesota field position and, two snaps later, led to Aaron Jones’ 34-yard touchdown run.
That plus a 57-yard field goal by Will Reichard merely staggered the Lions, who recovered quickly and dictated play for the rest of the afternoon.
“We knew the whole week was about composure, composure, composure,” said Goff, a former Super Bowl quarterback with the Rams who improved to 6-3 against Minnesota.
“Dan kept preaching that for us. I thought the guys did a great job today keeping it. We’re built on responding.”
Since going a perfect 18-for-18 passing in a Week 4 win over the Seattle Seahawks, Goff has thrown seven touchdowns without an interception while averaging more than 15 yards per completion.
“He’s a stud,” Campbell gushed. “The guy’s got arm talent, no question. But it’s what he’s got here and here (pointing at his head and heart). That’s what makes him a dangerous player. He’s a winner.
“He doesn’t get frazzled. He’s tough. He’s competitive. And he’s reliable. I love the guy, man.”
Jahmyr Gibbs helped Goff by rushing for 116 yards and two of Detroit’s three second-quarter touchdowns. Gibbs’ production, coupled with superior pass protection, tenderized a Minnesota defense that had dominated the line of scrimmage through five straight wins.
It all added up to a fourth straight Lions victory over the Vikings, the first time that has happened in this lopsided series between longtime division rivals since the Kennedy Administration.
“That’s a huge win, on the road, in a tough environment,” Campbell said. “You don’t want to say must-win, but we needed that in a bad way.”
The rematch is Week 18 at Ford Field, where the 2024 NFC North title very well could be determined.
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