Jared Goff is playing some very good football lately. The Detroit quarterback was consistently on the money in the Lions’ 34-23 win over the visiting Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Goff was on point as the catalyst for another impressive offensive output and Detroit’s fifth win in six games.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell had nothing but praise for Goff after the huge NFC North win.
“He’s playing outstanding,” a hoarse Campbell told reporters after the game. “He’s a direct link to why we are playing better. He’s playing really good football. He’s taking care of the football, he’s making big throws, man. He’s been highly accurate.”
Campbell wasn’t done praising his quarterback.
“I thought he had another hell of a day. He’s cool, he’s calm, he’s collected and making those throws,” Campbell said.
Goff made a number of impressive throws in Sunday’s win. No. 16 completed 27 of his 39 pass attempts for 339 yards and three TDs. At least three of the incompletions were good examples of what Campbell was referring to when he mentioned Goff protecting the ball. Two others were clear drops by Lions receivers. Goff was not sacked in the game.
The strong performance comes on a day when NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported the Lions view Goff as more than just a bridge quarterback. This was Goff’s fifth straight game without throwing an interception. He began the season with six INTs in the first six games and also lost three fumbles in those games.
Not anymore. Goff has been in firm command of coordinator Ben Johnson’s offense. He’s avoided takeaways without losing aggressiveness, a key point. The Lions surged to the early lead against the Vikings thanks to deep shots from Goff to DJ Chark and speedy rookie Jameson Williams.
Regardless of the long-term outlook, Goff continues to play very impressively and the Lions keep on winning. That’s a combination Campbell should be very happy about.
