Jared Goff stood in front of the microphones on his biggest day with the Detroit Lions, and he was just as we remember.
Fans at Ford Field had chanted “Jar-ed Goff” on and off since pregame Sunday, when the Detroit Lions scored a 24-23 victory over the Los Angeles Rams — the team that discarded the former Cal star three years ago in a quarterback swap for Matthew Stafford.
Stafford led the Rams to a Super Bowl title in his first season. Goff was expected to last only as long it took the Lions to find their permanent quarterback.
As the headline in the Detroit Free Press screamed: “Jared Goff is a bridge QB all right — a bridge to a magical place.”
So this was Goff’s chance to gloat, and no one would have blamed him.
Between the chants of Goff’s name, fans reveled and a few even cried after the Lions won their first NFL playoff game in 32 years. They couldn’t get enough of the magic Goff helped conjure.
But when the 29-year-old Marin County native was asked by reporters about the victory, Goff passed on the chance to crow.
He was the quarterback Cal fans knew, modest and selfless. He insisted on sharing the moment with his teammates and coaches and all of Detroit, which waited so much longer than he did for this victory.
"I obviously had some personal connections there, but it's about our team, and it's about the 2023 Lions," Goff told sideline reporter Melissa Stark. "I know we just broke a (playoff winless) streak that's been going on for 30 years, but it's about this squad. It's about the people in this locker room, in this building. It's about our head coach, Dan Campbell and what he infuses into all of us, and it's about us."
Later, at the podium, Goff continued to share the moment with everyone. “It means a whole lot to this city,” he said. "We knew what it meant when this season started to get into the playoffs and then to get this win. And, you know, it’s just the beginning for us. We’ve got some run left.”
The Lions get another home game next Sunday against the winner of tonight’s matchup of the Eagles and Buccaneers.
Goff came closest to making this about him when asked about taking the final snap that ran out the clock to more chants of his name.
"I kind of had to subdue a lot of emotions this week and was able to kind of enjoy that moment," said Goff, adding that need never "experienced anything like that.
"I'm grateful for their support and today with the circ*mstances that were there, it meant a lot," Goff said. "It was special.”
Goff directed the Lions to touchdowns on their first three drives and finished 22 for 27 for 277 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. According to ESPN, he was 22 for 22 when not pressured — the most such attempts without an incompletion since ESPN began tracking those numbers in 2009. When the Rams got pressure, Goff was 0 for 5 with three sacks.
But he walked off a winner. And Stafford, who spent 12 seasons with the Lions, was gracious afterward.
"He's their quarterback. He's playing great. He led them to a win today. I'm happy for him," Stafford said. "I thought he played excellent today. He's leading an offense that's playing at a really good clip right now and they should be proud of him. They should be cheering for him.”
Even Rams coach Sean McVay, whose team gave up two first-round draft picks to rid the franchise of its former No. 1 overall draft pick, had praise for Goff afterward.
“Jared was really efficient. You could see the command that he has,” McVay said. “There’s a lot made of it, but I'm really happy for him. We wanted to come away with a win, but he's done a great job.”
While McVay gave up on Goff, Lions coach Dan Campbell rebuilt Goff’s confidence and considered him more than a temp worker.
In the lead-up to Sunday’s game, Campbell talked about Goff’s ability to write a successful second chapter to his NFL career after being tossed aside by the Rams.
“I don’t want to say it surprised me,” he said, according to The Ringer, “but yet, you really get to understand just how resilient he is and how his ability to bounce back — he can look at a situation and take it for what it is.
“He never gets too high, he never gets too low. And, I think that’s exactly where you want your quarterback to be.”
Just as we remember him.
Cover photo of Jared Goff celebrating Sunday's victory by Eric Seals, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
