Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions suffered a 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15. This was only Detroit’s second loss of the season. However, it came at a high expense.
Star running back David Montgomery suffered a serious knee injury against the Bills and will face a lengthy spell on the sidelines and will be out for the season. Not only him, but Carlton Davis III, Alim McNeill, and Khalil Dorsey also got hurt in the same game.
Nick Wright Puts Pressure on Jared Goff
Nick Wright, who referred to Goff as a “civilian” earlier this season when comparing Goff to the “superheroes” at quarterback in the AFC, recently put more pressure on the Lions quarterback.
During a segment on “First Things First,” the Fox Sports analyst mentioned that since Detroit’s roster is no longer stacked, its quarterback has to lead from the front.
“I don’t think any of us think David Montgomery’s loss means the offense is going to be terrible,” Wright said. “[Jahmyr Gibbs] is really good, they still have all their offensive lineman. So, this is not Jared Goff’s fault, but the only way to win a Super Bowl with a middling to bad defense is to have your quarterback be a superhero; we’ve only seen it done a few times, and it’s the only way to do it.”
Wright further emphasized how Goff needs to play exceptionally well to give his team a chance of winning the games.
“The civilian has got to be a superhero,” Wright added, “He’s got to be great, and he has been excellent. Yesterday, he played almost perfect football, and they still lost, so he’s going to have to be that superhero quarterback.”
READ MORE: Detroit Lions Injury Report After Week 15
The Lions’ defense has given up an average of 31 points per game in the last three weeks. Now that more defensive contributors are out injured, Detroit’s offense may need to score 30+ points more regularly to get the results it needs.
Goff and the Lions will have to play like the 2019 Kansas City Chiefs, who quite often got involved in high-scoring affairs. Patrick Mahomes led them to a Super Bowl-winning campaign despite having a subpar defense, and the Lions quarterback now has to do the same.
Lions QB Could Permanently Change the Narrative Around Him
Goff has redeemed himself with his recent performances for the Lions. He is an MVP candidate this season but is still not often considered to belong in the same tier of quarterbacks as Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow.
For that to happen, the 30-year-old quarterback may need to take the Lions on a deep playoff run. If Goff achieves that with his team severely handicapped by injuries, it would go a long way toward solidifying his reputation as arguably the best quarterback in the NFC.
Goff has thrown for 3,759 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 14 games this season. He has completed 71.4% of his throws with a passer rating of 110.4, both being his career-best.
The Lions star is top-three among the quarterbacks in the NFL in these categories this year:
- Passer rating (second)
- Passing yards per game (second)
- Yards per pass attempt (third)
- Passing yards (second)
- Completion percentage (second)
Goff has put up MVP-esque numbers this season, and all he needs now is to continue leading the Lions to wins despite the team’s injury issues. He signed a four-year, $212 million contract extension this past offseason, and a deep playoff run this year will help to change the narrative of him being just a game-managing quarterback.
