The Detroit Lions suffered their first loss of the 2026 NFL season in frustrating fashion on Thursday evening, falling behind by a 21-0 score to the host Buffalo Bills before eventually falling by a 41-31 final score.
The secondary of the Lions, who barely escaped what would have been a disastrous Week 1 loss against the New Orleans Saints days earlier at Ford Field, was carved up by Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who made his mark in the inaugural game at new Highmark Stadium with a vintage performance.
Speaking of quarterbacks, Jared Goff certainly can’t be blamed for the loss – but he took a bit of heat from a key former Lion.
Former Detroit Lions Quarterback Dan Orlovsky Calls Out Current QB Jared Goff During Bills Loss
Former Lions backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky, now one of the best-known NFL Insiders, took Goff to task during the loss to the Bills for not targeting Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams more.
“Have like $100 million into (2) WRS and you’ve thrown them 2 balls… Bad ball,” Orlovsky wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
It wouldn’t be long before the replies began pouring in, with a good percentage of them seemingly agreeing.
One fan exclaimed, “He hasn’t thrown it anyone!!! Throw the fucking ball Goff!!! On all days to take the over on 36.5 lol. He ends with ONE. ONE in the first quarter. ONE”
“Agreed but we also have no OL and Goff is cheeks without an OL this game never had a chance to be close once the injury report posted,” one fan said.
This fan wanted to deflect blame to the Lions defense, saying, “Dan, at this point, you could close your laptop, and walk out on that field in your street clothes and throw for 400 against this Lions defense.”
Another fan seemingly called out OC Drew Petzing, saying, “Goff is….. not very good. Dude is waiting for guys to be open. No anticipation, no throwing them open. Ben Johnson covered up a LOT of stink with him.”
However, not all fans agreed with Orlovsky, with a few reminding him of the infamous moment during his own playing career that made blooper reels everywhere.
“YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT BAD DETROIT BALL, DAN-O?! Let’s go back to October 12, 2008…” one fan said.
This fan said, “Having situational awareness so bad that you run out the back of the end zone…. Bad Ball.”
Jared Goff Played Well Despite The Lions Loss
Goff had a strong game, completing 26-of-38 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns and zero interceptions.
However, Detroit’s porous secondary opened the door for a barrage of first-half points and yards for the Bills. Meanwhile, Goff took issue with what he felt was a lack of urgency during the first half.
“I think urgency early on,” said Goff. “I think for the last two games, really, we had some good moments, but I think we need to understand that we need to start good; we need to start on that momentum. Those first two drives put us in a big hole, and we can’t do that.”
Former Lions QB Calls Out Jared Goff During Rough Bills Loss