Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores have a longer history together, going back to when Goff was with the Los Angeles Rams and Flores was with the New England Patriots in 2016. So, when Flores spoke about the growth that he has seen from Goff, that is coming from a place of understanding.
Flores praised Goff in his Tuesday press conference, calling him one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
“I was actually thinking about this this morning,” said Flores on how he has noticed the growth of Goff. “I want to say it was his third year or second year. It was the first time we faced him and he’s certainly grown exponentially since then.”
Goff started his career 0-3 against Flores with the Los Angeles Rams. In 2016, the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots shut him down. The game that Flores is referring to is likely 2019, when the Patriots shut him down in the Super Bowl. New England beat the Rams 13-3, and Goff completed 19 of his 38 passes. He threw an interception and had four sacks.
Flores shut down Goff the next season when he joined the Miami Dolphins as their head coach, too. So, when Flores entered the NFC North, it spelled trouble for Goff.
Brian Flores Has Seen Growth in Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff
However, while the Vikings won both meetings last season, Goff is 4-2 against the Vikings since Flores was hired. He is now 4-5 against Flores overall. Flores praised the growth of Goff.
“Command of the offense, cadence, his ability to just extract information from the defense with shifts, motions, cadence, and his ability to gather that information and then make the correct reads and throws, is high level,” admitted Flores.
Flores added that it is not only the stats and wins that are in favor of Goff, but he is also just a better player. Flores said he is one of the best in the NFL now.
“Statistically, he’s been one of the best quarterbacks, not even statistically, period,” said Flores. “He’s been one of the best quarterbacks in the National Football League over, you know, a good amount of time. And so, yes, he’s grown quite a bit. That’s what you expect, as guys get more time under their belt. I think he’s one of the best in the league and they’ve got a great skill group and he’s he knows how to, you know, distribute the ball to all of them.”
The Vikings defense is far and away the best in the NFL. So, the praise from the top coordinator in the NFL is quite a lot for Goff.
Jared Goff Turned the Corner
Goff used to be much more prone to struggling under pressure than he does now. In five years with the Rams, Goff has 107 touchdowns to 55 interceptions. His touchdown rate is 4.4%, and his interception rate was 2.3%. With Detroit, he has 163 touchdowns and 47 interceptions. His touchdown rate is 5.4%, and his interception rate is 1.6%. He left the Rams offense and got much better across the board.
Brian Flores Makes Honest Admission on Lions QB Jared Goff