Lions’ Jared Goff entering playoff game vs Rams with chip on shoulder
The Los Angeles Rams stunned the NFL world in 2021 when they traded Jared Goff to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford just a few years after he led the team to a Super Bowl appearance.
On the flip side, it only took Stafford one season to get the Rams back to the Super Bowl and actually win it. On Sunday, Goff and Stafford will meet in the playoffs as Detroit hosts Los Angeles in the wild-card round.
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Jared Goff, #16 of the Detroit Lions, runs on the field before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field on Jan. 7, 2024 in Detroit. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Goff has extra motivation to put the Rams in the past.
“Of course,” he told ESPN after being asked whether he still had a chip on his shoulder. “I think it’ll never leave me, and I think that’s a good thing.”
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Jared Goff, #16 of the Detroit Lions, looks to throw a pass during the second half of a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field on Jan. 7, 2024 in Detroit. (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback has an incredible opportunity to cement himself in Lions lore with the franchise’s first playoff win since the 1991 season.
“I so badly want to win a playoff game for this city that hasn’t had one in so long,” he 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.”
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Goff has put together one of his best seasons in recent memory. He has 4,575 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes this season. Detroit’s offense finished in the top 5 in points scored and yards gained.
Jared Goff, #16 of the Detroit Lions, waits to lead the Detroit Lions onto the field before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field on Jan. 7, 2024 in Detroit. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Detroit’s 12 wins are the most since Stafford led the team to an 11-5 year in 2014. It is only the third time since the Lions went 10-6 in 1995 that they finished with double-digit wins.
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The two teams square off on Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET.
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