Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions played the Houston Texans in Week 10. Goff had the worst game of his career as he threw five interceptions, four of which came in the first half.
Despite Goff’s less-than-spectacular performance, the Lions still came away with a 26-23 win. Detroit’s defense shut down the Texans’ offense in the second half, as C.J. Stroud and Co. could not score a single point after putting up 23 in the first half.
Robert Griffin III Spoke About Jared Goff’s Performance
Former NFL quarterback and Heisman winner Robert Griffin III was disappointed with Goff’s performance. He took to social media to express his opinion that the likelihood of the Lions QB receiving the MVP award has all but been wiped out.
“Jared Goff single-handedly ended his MVP race tonight after throwing 5 ints,” wrote Griffin on X.
Heading into Week 10, only Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen had better odds to win the MVP than the Lions quarterback. How much the MVP odds take into account his five touchdowns will be interesting to measure considering he was still able to rally his team in the second half to get the win and lead the Lions to an 8-1 record.
UNREAL 🤯🤯🤯
📺: @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/5kcjbAaOOX
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) November 11, 2024
Before the game against the Texans, Goff’s career-high interceptions in a single game came in 2018 against the Chicago Bears (4). He was with the Los Angeles Rams at the time and has made remarkable improvements as a leader and a quarterback since then.
Even with the interceptions, Pro Football Network’s proprietary QB+ metric still gave Goff a C+ grade (77.6), which was better than C.J. Stroud, who finished with a C- (72.6). The grade takes into account a number of elements and not just passing stats.
Every good quarterback in the league usually has a game like this every season, and Lions fans should be happy that Goff’s came in Week 10. Detroit is still the team to beat in the NFC. With this win against the Texans, the Lions have shown that they can win games in which their star QB struggles.
Goff Will Have a Chance To Redeem Himself Against the Jaguars
The Lions will play the Jacksonville Jaguars at home next week. The Jaguars are 2-8 on the season, and their defense is giving up an average of 26.4 points and 261.2 passing yards per game. It is a perfect bounce-back spot for Goff.
Detroit’s defense has shown they can win the team games even if their quarterback does not play well. They are proving to be a dangerous team and could separate themselves further from the rest of the NFC as we edge closer to the playoffs. Currently, PFN’s Playoff Predictor gives the Lions a 99% chance to make the playoffs, with a 67.8% chance to win the NFC North, and a 24.2% to win the Super Bowl (the highest of any team).
The Lions lost in the NFC Championship Game last season, but they likely learned a lot from it. That experience will come in handy this postseason. Moreover, the Lions are expected to finish with the best record in the NFC, which will give them a home-field advantage until the Super Bowl.
Goff may not win the MVP, but he still has a chance to lead the Lions to their first-ever Super Bowl in franchise history.