The Detroit Lions enjoyed a furious 8-2 finish to the season that left them one game short of making the playoffs, and the frustration of that still lingers for the team.
It’s been hard for quarterback Jared Goff to watch the playoffs without thinking of what could have been for the Lions, especially after how they finished the season with an impressive 9-8 wining record.
Speaking with The Rich Eisen Show on Tuesday, February 7, Goff was asked if he had any lingering frustration about the season. As he admitted, the team would have loved a chance to show their stuff in the postseason given what they did later in the year.
“I think we would have loved to get our chance in the playoffs and see what would happen. I think we proved through the second half of the season that we could play with anybody and beat anybody,” Goff told Eisen. “You never know what would have happened, but you sit here every year if you don’t make it and kind of look at those teams. You go ‘man, we could have beat them, we could have done this and that.'”
Goff did, however, make a great point about the future for the Lions. As he admitted, the plan for 2023 has to be getting off to a better start, getting in the playoffs and accomplishing something instead of just talking about it after the fact.
“Ultimately, you got to get in there and do it, so one more game for us would have done it. This next year coming, we got to make sure we don’t start slow like we did unfortunately this season,” Goff said.
Having better than a 1-6 start to the season could be a good way for the Lions to take the next step toward a contender. Far too often since 2016, the team has got off to a slow start and had to try and play catch up in the second half of a season. Usually, they are too far behind to complete the uphill climb
This year, it nearly worked out for them. It the future, it won’t be good enough. With folks hyping Detroit as a potential contender in the NFC and NFC North soon, slow starts the likes of which happened in 2022 cannot take place.
Credit Goff for seeing this now and bringing it out in the open to set the proper tone for what many think can be a hopeful future.
Goff Wants Long-Term Future With Lions
A hot topic ever since Goff joined the Lions has been how quickly the team might look to move on. With the quarterback playing well now, however, that is becoming less of the case.
For his part, Goff doesn’t want to go anywhere. When asked if he could see himself in Detroit for a long time and perhaps even finishing out his career there, the quarterback admitted that was indeed the case.
“For sure. Also I think this year has been fun. I’ve really enjoyed my time (in Detroit) and it’s been a lot of fun for me. I don’t fully make those decisions. All I can do is continue to try to play well and see where it takes me but I love it out there. It’s been a lot of fun,” Goff told Eisen of playing in Detroit.
This past year, Goff put up a very solid 29 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. Goff has thrown for a quality 4,438 yards with a decent 99.3 QBR. Goff was a quality game manager for the Lions, and did an even better job to embrace the community in a big way.
As long as he is playing well and is happy, the team might be just as happy with him holding down the position.
Goff Loving Time With Lions Fans
Not only is the fanbase fired up, but Goff as well. Not only has Goff appreciated the team and his coaches, but the team’s fanbase as well.
Speaking about his time with the organization, Goff said he has enjoyed a great experience thus far in his first two full seasons in Detroit. That’s true from the coaching staff to the front office to ownership.
Speaking to the media on Monday, January 9, Goff took time to also share the love for the fans this season and their performance.
“I’ve loved my time here and love Dan and love the players and the coaches. I can’t speak higher higher of this group and these coaches and I love leading this team,” Goff told the media. “I love being a part of it. I love playing for Dan. I love playing for Brad (Holmes). I love playing for Sheila (Ford). It’s such a special group and a special place to be and Ford Field, it all goes into it. It’s a really special place to be and and I’ve really enjoyed it.”
The good news for the quarterback? Goff is unlikely to be on the move this offseason, and he will get a chance to continue to lead his team and embrace the fanbase even more.
With a better start in 2023, the team can perhaps start to make some of the notable strides that everyone envisions for the future.
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Lions’ Jared Goff Sends Big Message to Team About 2023 Season Goal