NFL Analysis

10/1/24

6 min read

Jared Goff's Perfect Game Proves Lions Are Still A Top NFC Contender 

By Tyler Brooke

NFL Analyst
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) makes a pass against Seattle Seahawks during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024.

Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff had the perfect night for a quarterback on Monday night.

In the 42-29 win against the Seattle Seahawks, Goff made NFL history by completing all 18 of his pass attempts, the most passes in a game without an incompletion ever. He threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns but also added a receiving touchdown on a trick play thanks to a perfect pass from wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.

It's not like Goff was exclusively dinking and dunking, either. Five of his passes went further than 10 yards downfield, including both of his touchdowns. According to Next Gen Stats, he had a 21.9 completion percentage over expected (CPOE). RBSDM was even higher on Goff, giving him a 25.1 CPOE.

Goff's passing chart doesn't get any better.

After a sluggish start to the season, Goff and the Lions are now firing on all cylinders. During the last two games, Goff has completed 87.8 percent of his passes for 491 yards, four passing touchdowns, and one interception.

The Lions' veteran quarterback is looking more like himself, and the film shows a confident field general who is keeping his eyes downfield and getting his receivers the ball in space.

Goff Throws NFL's First Perfect Game

Goff might have just needed a 13-yard sack on the opening drive to get him to lock in.

The Lions went three-and-out on their opening drive after that sack, but Goff did a much better job of avoiding pressure going forward. One of his first throws, suggesting that Goff was locked in for a great night, came under duress.

In the clip below, watch how Goff steps up in the pocket to avoid the sack, then spins out of the ankle tackle attempt while keeping his eyes downfield to deliver an impressive strike.

In addition to delivering downfield with accuracy, Goff also threw with good anticipation. This "dagger" concept off play-action requires throwing with anticipation on the dig route or the in-cutting concept from St. Brown.

The play-action holds the linebacker long enough to give Goff a window, but any hesitation on this throw would have resulted in an incompletion or turnover.

The Lions returned to the dagger concept in the fourth quarter, resulting in a more impressive throw from Goff. With the pocket collapsing in front of him, Goff showed no fear, stepping up and delivering a tight-window throw on the dig route yet again.

This time, watch how the underneath route holds the linebacker to open up the window.

After his opening-drive sack, Goff continued to excel when under pressure. He's not the most mobile quarterback, but he had enough pocket presence to feel when pressure was coming and know where his check-downs were.

This checkdown to Sam LaPorta on second-and-short was a great example of Goff getting the ball out of his hands once he started to feel pressure. It turned into a nine-yard gain and a first down, extending the drive.

Goff's incredible performance isn't all due to his play. His skill players made plenty of plays after the catch. Plus, David Montgomery's 40-yard angry run was one of the most exciting plays of the season.

Even Jameson Williams got in on the fun with an explosive 70-yard touchdown. The design was a simple crossing concept off of play action.

Williams deserves the credit for the speed after the catch, but watch Goff's anticipation on the throw, getting the ball out of his hands before Williams even gets past the linebacker.

Things weren't always pretty for Goff. His opening drive sack was a play where he should have thrown the ball away. He also took a safety in the fourth quarter that gave Seattle some hope to mount a potential comeback.

Still, with zero incompletions in a game with 42 points scored as a team, Goff had one of the best nights of his NFL career.

Running Game Opened Everything Up

None of what happened on Monday night was possible without a dominant run game from the Lions.

Led by the running back duo of Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, the Lions ran for 116 yards and three touchdowns. They only averaged 4.1 yards per carry, but some of those carries came near the goal line, resulting in three touchdowns.

In a state where rushing is typically given a negative value, RBSDM gave the Lions 0.09 expected points added per rushing attempt to go along with a 46 percent success rate. They were especially effective on early downs, averaging 0.16 EPA per play on the ground.

That effective rushing attack helped Goff gash the Seahawks' defense with play-action. According to TruMedia, Goff went 12-for-12 on play-action passes, throwing for 229 yards (19.1 yards per attempt) and a touchdown for a 146.5 passer rating.

Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson isn't afraid of spamming the run to open up the pass, and he has the personnel to establish it, regardless of the opponent.

The Lions have one of the league's most well-balanced offensive attacks when things are working, and the results are nights like this one from Goff.

Tags: Detroit Lions, Jared Goff

Tyler Brooke

NFL Analyst

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