Jared Goff, Lions not playing into individual narrative against Rams
In January of 2021, the blockbuster Jared Goff–Matthew Stafford trade went down. Nearly three calendar years later, the two are facing off against each other for the first time in the playoffs against their former teams. But it’s not all about individuals this Sunday, as Goff and the Detroit Lions are looking to disband the individual narrative and focus on a team win.
The NFL world has erupted into an extravaganza on this week’s Sunday night playoff matchup. It has become a Goff-Stafford bad-blood matchup. But it’s not all that meets the eye. Football is a team sport at the end of the day, and one individual can’t make or break a team.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell has done a tremendous job the past two seasons in guiding the Lions into new expectations and realities. For the first time in 20 years, the Lions are hosting a home playoff game, an unimaginable achievement for are a team who were just 3-13-1 two seasons ago.
“We win as a team,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “Man, this is about the Lions versus the Rams, and we win with three phases here and he’s a huge part of that and all he’s got to do is do his part and he knows that.”
Turning back time five years ago, Goff and the Los Angeles Rams found themselves in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2002. But after a 13-3 season, the Rams fell short of a Super Bowl title and Goff’s relationship with the Rams slowly dismantled thereafter. He went on to put up his two worst statistical seasons in his career, throwing 42 touchdowns and 29 interceptions in a span of 31 games.
Even with Goff being let go in an ungrateful matter, Rams head coach Sean McVay recollected on the “good times” with the former No. 1 pick.
“The thing that I’ll never run away from are mistakes that I’ve made in previous instances,” McVay said this week, according to ESPN. “But when you look back on it, the gratitude for those four years, all the good memories that we had. And then when you end up making a change, that ended up being difficult. And could it have been handled better on my end? Absolutely. And I’ll never run away from that.
“But the further you get away from it, the more that you try to grow as a man, as a person, as the leader that you want to become. He deserved better than the way that it all went down. I’ll acknowledge that and I think he knows that too. And I’m not afraid to admit to those things, but I think we’re all better being able to look back on those things. And I do have more appreciation for him as time goes on.”
With the relationship status boiling with Goff and Stafford in the NFL today, there is only respect encircling their relationship. The former California quarterback went to the extent of commenting on Stafford’s legacy in Detroit and the possibility of building something bigger and better in Detroit now.
“Ton of a respect for him and him as a player and everything he’s done,” Goff said of Stafford. “He’s a Hall of Fame player in my book and I saw this as an opportunity for me to build my own legacy and being at the ground floor of something special and something that we can hopefully build to even more special than right now.”
But at the end of the day, the goal for both teams is to win, and that’s exactly what Goff and the Lions want to do come Sunday.
“I so badly want to win a playoff game for this city that hasn’t had one in so long,” Goff said. “We’ve got a home playoff game for the first time in so long and that’s so much more important than anything personally for me. I want to be a part of this win and do my job the best of my ability.”
Kickoff is set for Sunday, Jan. 14 at 8:00 p.m. at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. What are your predictions for the game? Who will take home this hyped up NFC Wild Card battle? Let us know in the comments down below.
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