Jared Goff was trusted by the Lions He won a historic match in return.

 

After leading the Detroit Lions to a 24-23 first-round playoff victory over his former team, the Los Angeles Rams, quarterback Jared Goff jogs off the field. It was Detroit’s first playoff triumph in thirty-two years. (AP/Paul Sancya)

The audience of over 66,000 exploded as Jared Goff took a knee, stood, and raised his arms in jubilation. He was aware of his recent actions. The supporters were aware of his recent actions. And despite his best efforts to downplay the importance of his moment and focus on his team, his emotions were unmistakable. The Detroit Lions defeated the Los Angeles Rams 24-23 on Sunday night.

Indeed, he remarked, “It was almost weird.” It was something you had been sort of imagining for a while. Imagine winning the playoffs, experiencing this kind of atmosphere in front of our home crowd, and being able to sit on the ball like that and finish it out—that’s what I’ve been dreaming about since I arrived. It kind of hit me all at once when they sent in the personnel, since I had no idea that the game was done once we took the first one down.

It also affected the fans. As the confetti dropped from Ford Field’s rafters, some people started crying. Goff’s name was sung by many.

Long ignored by others, Detroit Lions supporters are the most sincere in the nation.

“It seems like he enjoyed that.” Furtively, Coach Dan Campbell questioned a reporter. Could you enjoy that?

Behind a quarterback who was once written off and thought to be broken, the Lions—the “same old Lions”—earned their first postseason victory in 11,697 days. For decades, the team found ways to lose.

In January 2021, two years after leading Los Angeles to Super Bowl LIII and just 17 months after agreeing to a $134 million contract extension, Goff was sold by the Rams to Detroit for quarterback Matthew Stafford along with three draft picks. By the end of the 2020 season, Goff’s relationship with Rams Coach Sean McVay had deteriorated, and John Wolford had replaced him on the bench.

The way things are going, it almost feels planned, according to linebacker Alex Anzalone of Detroit.

The Lions have assisted Goff in his self-discovery and development into an even greater quarterback than he was two years ago. Their strategies were straightforward: establish confidence and foster trust.

“All we need from him is to come in and play quarterback,” Campbell told the Detroit reporters when he presented Goff in 2021. “I told him this, and I’m going to continue to tell him.” “You simply take on the role of quarterback. Here, you don’t need to be a hero. All you have to do is play quarterback.

Campbell’s message remained constant. But Goff’s performance against his old team on Sunday night, when he passed for 277 yards and recorded a 121.8 passer rating, was the result of two years of game-tuning with Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator for the Lions.

The Lions ended the season with the second-worst record in the league (3-13-1). This was Goff’s first season in Detroit. Prior to the 2022 season, Campbell gave Johnson play-calling responsibilities in addition to his position as passing game coordinator. Before employing Johnson in Detroit, Campbell had worked with him for four seasons (2012–2015) as a member of the Miami Dolphins staff.

Although the familiarity helps, Johnson’s versatility as a coordinator and his ability to groom Goff have elevated him to the top of the lists of candidates for head coaching positions at several teams.

Johnson, a walk-on quarterback at North Carolina, earned degrees in computer science and mathematics, which he has applied to coaching. He approaches things analytically and appears to like going over his play collection to improve his own playbook.

Before the season, Goff told the Detroit media, “A lot of guys are clever, and a lot of guys can draw up anything and can put the offense in an advantageous place, which I think he does a lot.” However, he’s always willing to listen, not just to me but also to the coaches and every player. What is visible? What appeals to us? What are our desires?

Johnson met with Goff in the spring of 2022 to go over their strategy. In order to capitalize on Goff’s talents, they watched his earlier footage during the time he was successful in Los Angeles. A dependable rushing offense was essential, and GGoff did a good job of including plenty of play-action. Detroit first selected Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round of the draft after signing David Montgomery in March.

When we acquired him, Johnson told reporters, “He was renowned as a movement and play-action man.” This was in October. But in the last several years, he has improved in his capacity to identify defenses, control protection, ensure that he is protected, and discern potential problems. And at this moment, he is in total command of our offensive.

Following the game on Sunday, Campbell claimed that Goff had been “locked in” for the previous six weeks, not only during practice this week. Campbell could tell that Goff had improved even in the smallest aspects of his game, such as his conduct during walkthroughs, his mastery of the huddle, his ability to specify what he wants from the offensive line and receivers, and his relationships with Johnson.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the Lions chose to pass the ball to Goff on the final significant play rather than running the ball to eat up time and inch downfield. After the two-minute warning, on second and ninth, Goff connected with wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown for an 11-yard reception, resulting in just three kneel-downs needed to secure the victory.

Campbell remarked, “[I’m] just incredibly proud of him, what he represents to us and his play today.” We recently won our first postseason game here in thirty years, and he’s one of the reasons we won this division. What a stud, that is.