Jared Goff Pushes Back on Doubters as Lions Face Must-Win Stretch
With the Detroit Lions teetering on the edge of playoff elimination, quarterback Jared Goff is showing a side we don’t often see-fired up, frustrated, and ready to prove people wrong.
Coming off a tough Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Rams-his former team, no less-Goff made his usual weekly appearance on 97.1 The Ticket’s Karsch and Anderson. But this time, the tone was different.
The Lions are in a precarious spot, and Goff knows it. If Detroit wants to keep its postseason hopes alive, they’ll need to win out, starting with a critical Week 16 home game against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
During the interview, Goff was informed of the mounting pessimism among some Lions fans. Callers to the station had voiced their doubts, with some essentially writing off the season and predicting another missed playoff berth.
Goff’s response? A sarcastic “That’s awesome. Thank you, guys.”
But then the quarterback dialed up the intensity.
When asked what he’d say to those doubters to help restore their faith, Goff didn’t sugarcoat it.
“I don’t need to reinstill faith in anyone. It pisses me off a little bit to hear that,” Goff said.
“But yeah, you know, we got to win this first one. Pittsburgh at home.
We’ll have it in front of our home fans. And yeah, it’ll be great.
Go out there and get that W, and hopefully prove a lot of our people wrong.”
That’s not the usual Goff-at least not publicly. He’s typically the steady hand, the guy who leans into the playbook of quarterback clichés and keeps things even-keeled.
But in this moment, the frustration bubbled to the surface. And honestly, it was refreshing.
This is a quarterback who’s heard the noise before. From his exit in Los Angeles to the questions about whether he could lead a rebuild in Detroit, Goff has had to shoulder plenty of skepticism.
And while he’s made a point of tuning out the outside chatter, he’s not oblivious to it. In today's hyper-connected football world, no player really is.
When pressed again about the team’s confidence moving forward, Goff did revert a bit to his usual tone.
“Win the first one. Absolutely. We can get this one done, and go beat Pittsburgh and then go from there.”
That’s the mindset the Lions have to adopt right now. One week at a time.
One win at a time. Because the margin for error is gone.
Still, it’s hard to ignore the emotional shift in Goff’s tone. This wasn’t just a quarterback giving lip service to the idea of bouncing back. This was a guy who clearly feels the weight of the moment-and maybe even a little disrespected by the reaction of some fans.
And look, the frustration from the fanbase isn’t without reason. The Lions have been inconsistent down the stretch, and the loss to the Rams didn’t inspire a ton of confidence.
But if there’s a silver lining to be found, it’s that Goff is taking it personally. That edge, that fire?
That’s exactly what you want to see from your leader with the season on the line.
The Lions still have a path to the postseason. It’s narrow, sure, but it’s there. And if Goff’s reaction is any indication, he’s ready to fight for it-and maybe give those doubters something to chew on along the way.