The Detroit Lions haven’t been getting it done on offense the past few weeks, and that reality is enough to sound some alarm bells for the team as it relates to their future this season.
Jared Goff has struggled in a big way, and the problems he has endured have become harder to ignore the last few weeks. Goff is starting to turn the ball over and make mistakes, and fixing that is a major goal for him and the team.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, October 26, Goff discussed his reaction to the fact that he’s been struggling. As he said, the ball security has been good for the most part, but it’s something he is still locked-in on fixing.
“You always look at it every week. You look at what can you do better and I think for the most part, (while) I had a tough game last week in that regard, for the most part, I’ve been taking care of the ball. Just need to put an emphasis on it and just be a little more focused on it and take care of it,” Goff admitted.
Specifically, Goff thinks he has to find a way to be better in the pocket and avoid some of the deep drifts that have gotten him into trouble both with fumbles and interceptions lately.
“Just stepping up a little bit. I think for most of the season I’ve done a good job of it. Developed maybe a bad habit in the New England game. Just sliding back a little bit and just need to step up. Help those guys out. Be up in the pocket a little bit more. Those tackle jobs are hard enough and when I get too deep, we have a yard mark, and when I’m past that it’s on me so I just make sure I’m within that and just do my job that way.”
Detroit’s offensive line is elite, but with Goff drifting like he has and moving around way too much, it makes it hard on them to protect, as he seems to know. Cleaning that up will go a long way toward more efficient quarterback play.
Goff’s Turnover Problems Spelling Trouble for Lions
Offensively, Detroit’s biggest problem has not only been a lack of points, but some major sloppiness. Right now, the team isn’t executing things at all, which has been bad news.
Not only are the Lions not running the ball as efficiently as they had been, Jared Goff’s play has regressed in a big way in terms of the pass. In the last two weeks, he is a combined 40-61 for 457 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. That’s far from the player who looked like a sneaky MVP candidate after Week 4.
Worse than that, Goff has become a turnover machine for the Lions lately. He’s been fumbling the ball in addition to throwing the aforementioned interceptions. It hasn’t been a good development for the Lions, and it leaves folks to wonder whether or not Goff is the right guy moving forward for the franchise.
The quarterback obviously knows that he has to make a change, and listening to him speak, it sounds as if he understands just what to do mentally and physically to make a change last.
Goff Focused on Staying Stable as Leader
Though he hasn’t played well, Goff hasn’t lost faith in being able to turn the page. If he’s able to do that, the Lions will be better off and continue to take steps toward turning things around.
According to Goff, he simply has to find a way to remain consistent as a person and a leader in the building, which is something he is confident in doing.
“Be the same guy I’m every day. I think to answer your question, just try to be the same guy and show up do my job, come to work and and be ready to play,” he said. “Specifically in my part the last two weeks, I wasn’t at my best and need to find a way to be at my best and continue that through the rest of the season.”
Goff doesn’t think it will be hard at all for him to keep this momentum up. As he said, he feels comfortable being the same person and maintaining that consistency week in and week out.
“I’ve never had an issue with it. I’ve just always kind of been that way and maybe it’s genetics. Maybe it’s just how I grew up. I don’t know, I’ve just had a good ability to just be the same guy consistently. At times it’s hard right, like adversity is hard but that’s when your true character shows like I spoke about, and it’s no different for me,” he said.
Hopefully, the Lions can turn the page on offense and Goff can improve his problems with turnovers and in the pocket. If he’s able to get this done, a big reason why will be the fact that he sticks to the plan.
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Jared Goff Offers Honest Explanation for Recent Turnover Problems