Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff is set to face off his former team, the Los Angeles Rams, on Sunday in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs but says the game isn’t about him or his personal feelings.
The Rams sent Goff to the Lions in January 2021 via a blockbuster trade for quarterback Matthew Stafford. On Wednesday, Goff was asked by media members if there was extra motivation for him to face his former team.
“No, no. I think … no,” Goff told reporters Wednesday. “I so badly want to win a game for this city—win a playoff game for this city—that hasn’t had one in so long. We got a home playoff game for the first time in so long. That’s so much more important than anything personally for me.”
#Lions QB Jared Goff on facing Sean McVay and ex-Rams team: "Obviously we had our differences there at the end, but he's a great coach. He's a guy that taught me a lot."
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) January 10, 2024
Goff says there's no extra motivation facing LA. "I so badly want to win a playoff game for this city." pic.twitter.com/gZ3IaqxhRg
In the immediate aftermath of the trade, Los Angeles looked like the clear winner after taking home a Super Bowl title in Stafford’s first year with the Rams while Detroit slowly rebuilt its roster. Less than three years later, the Lions won the NFC North this season for their first division title since claiming the former NFC Central Division way back in 1993.
Goff will get his chance to push the Lions past the wild-card round for the first time since 1991 on Sunday with kickoff set between the two squads for 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
