Jared Goff is staring at a milestone that has been a decade in the making, and the opponent on the other side makes the setup even more interesting.
Sunday’s game against the Dolphins gives the Lions quarterback a shot at his 100th career win across the regular season and postseason. That would make him the 29th quarterback ever to hit that number. Josh Allen got there first earlier this season as the 28th.
Goff’s first NFL start came on November 20th, ten years ago, in a 10-14 loss to Miami. He didn’t get the win then, and he still hasn’t beaten the Dolphins in any of his three career starts against them. This week is his chance to finally change that.
There is one wrinkle in the total, though. The source of the milestone only counts games started by a quarterback.
In the 2020 playoff game against the Seahawks, Goff entered after an injury to John Wolford, who had already been hurt after six pass attempts. Goff helped the Rams win that game, but Wolford was the one officially credited with the victory.
Even with that note attached, Goff’s place in the league’s win totals is already in rare company. If he gets the job done Sunday, he would join Allen, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Joe Flacco, and Patrick Mahomes as the only active quarterbacks with 100 total wins.
The regular-season number is close, too. Goff has 95 regular-season wins right now, and a victory Sunday would leave him four shy of 100.
Depending on whether Allen reaches that mark first, Goff would become either the 22nd or 23rd quarterback to get there. Of the 21 quarterbacks already in that club, 11 are in the Hall of Fame, with Brady, Rodgers, Stafford, and Mahomes among those expected to make it once they’re eligible.
Miami has been a tough matchup for him from the beginning. In that rookie debut, Goff completed 54.8% of his passes for 134 yards with no touchdowns and no turnovers. His second start against the Dolphins in 2020 was bigger statistically - 355 passing yards on 57.4% passing with a touchdown - but it also came with two interceptions and two lost fumbles in a 17-28 defeat.
His lone Lions start against Miami was his best showing against them on paper. He completed 73% of his throws with a touchdown and no turnovers, but Detroit still fell 27-31 and dropped to 1-6. That loss ended up being the last one before the Lions’ sharp turnaround and near playoff run in 2022.
Now Goff gets Miami again, and this time it comes with his career on the verge of another benchmark. If he wins, the Dolphins would become the 30th different franchise he has beaten.
That would also put him alongside the other 100-win quarterbacks and Kirk Cousins as the only active quarterbacks within two teams of becoming the seventh quarterback ever to beat every possible franchise. The only teams left on that list would be the Bills and the Steelers.
The Dolphins enter Sunday at 1-6, but their pass defense has been in the middle of the pack, allowing 221.0 passing yards per game. They have been hit for more than 30 points only twice this season, and both of those games came against MVP candidates Brock Purdy and Joe Burrow.
Goff has been playing at an MVP level himself this season, and another strong outing against Miami would not only move him closer to the 100-win mark, but could also give his MVP case a noticeable boost.
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