Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff set an NFL perfect record by completing all 18 of his passes in Monday’s home game against the Seattle Seahawks.
While Detroit’s defense was battered, the biggest factor in Detroit’s 42-29 victory over the Seattle Seahawks was probably a more ideal schedule.
No, we’re not going to add a touch of gray to the boys in silver, black and Honolulu blue, but we’ll at least mention next week’s farewell. Talk about an obvious stunt against momentum. Then again, perhaps an offense that continues to grow from so-so beginnings should be given a brief respite before a hopeful surge.
“I was sure it would happen.” Goff said after the game.. “I thought the first half last week showed who we are. … Being able to play a full game that feels like that, that’s what you want.”
Goff connected on his first 14 passes in the eventual 20-13 win at Arizona in Week 3, completing 18 of 23 for 196 yards and two scores. This streak was the longest in his nine-year career to start a game.
It also gave me encouragement. Goff completed 52 of 83 total passes for an impressive 524 yards through the first two weeks of the season, with three interceptions and just one TD.
On Monday, Goff added two passing touchdowns and another score with no turnovers.
Yeah.
With the Lions marching away midway through the third quarter, Goff handed the ball to David Montgomery and made his way out of the backfield toward the left sideline.
Montgomery threw the ball to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who threw a stunning, perfect pass past a Seattle defender and into Goff’s arms for a 7-yard TD.
“I was fired up,” said Goff, who threw the ball into the stands. “We’ve been cooking it up for a long time. I think this is my first career touchdown catch.”
Perhaps it’s fitting that Goff relentlessly threw the ball at the Ford Field faithful.
At the end of the night, Lions coach Dan Campbell handed out game balls to safety Kirby Joseph and wideout Jameson Williams. The latter received a 70-yard TD pass from Goff, but Goff did not receive the game ball, likely due to Campbell going back to taking Goff’s efficiency for granted.
“I feel bad because I gave the game ball to someone else,” Campbell said. “I knew he had a great game. I didn’t know he was perfect. I didn’t know he literally went 18-for-18, but I knew he played really well. I knew it. You can feel it. He found his rhythm really early.”
It’s hard to blame Campbell, or even call him vague. This is different from baseball. Teammates traditionally leave potential perfect-game perpetrators at the edge of the dugout, even if they are in full view.
In soccer, stadium scoreboard operators occasionally flash playful graphics of the home offense on the field, suggesting that the group prefers relative quiet. A message that comes to mind goes along with the song “Quiet: Offense at work.”
But when the “D” regains the field, the raucous shouting and clapping begins again.
With Detroit starting 3-1 and on the verge of its first win over Seattle since 2012, fans on Monday had no idea that Goff was getting the real attention in the box score, and the night was nearly perfect. I might have thought so.
Goff was clearly wondering whether a pass thrown wide of the box on a play that was later ruled to be offensive pass interference would be considered incomplete.
That wasn’t the case.
Now Goff can rest before looking to extend his shutout streak in two weeks when the Lions visit Dallas.
