The Detroit Lions are leaving Charlotte empty-handed after a tough loss against the Carolina Panthers. Before the closing moments of the game, Dan Campbell’s side had one last chance to change the scoreboard before the final whistle. With the score at 32-26, the Lions had a mathematical chance to steal the game on their final drive, but the offense couldn’t rise to the occasion after quarterback Jared Goff was sacked.
In the post-game press conference, the Lions signal-caller was asked about the final drive and how they had the chance to pull off a last-minute win but couldn’t. Goff didn’t shy away from the question, admitting he and the offense fell short.
“I thought we just needed that first score to cut it to one score. Had the drive before we scored on that. I thought we would get it done on, we didn’t,” Goff said. “But yeah, just getting the ball with two minutes and a chance to win it. It’s all we want. And we had the chance and, yeah, it feels like we, I let us down a little bit not scoring there at the end to win the game.”
After a stop by the Lions’ defense, they got the ball back with just 2:12 minutes left in the final quarter. While they were trailing by 6 points, a touchdown alongside an extra point could have sealed the deal, but the Panthers linebacker Princely Umanmielen sacked Goff, pouring cold water on any remaining hopes.
Even though the defeat was a hard pill to swallow, the Lions signal-caller remains optimistic moving forward.
Jared Goff Remains Confident Despite Another Slow Start Of The Offense
Detroit Lions certainly have one of the most feared offenses in the NFL with the presence of Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta, spearheaded by Jared Goff. Even though they have scored 119 points in 4 games so far, they have had slow starts to the games, including last night.
The Lions scored 3 points in the first quarter before racking up 13 points to go toe-to-toe with the Lions in the second quarter. But the third quarter made the difference, as the Honolulu Blues managed only 3 points, while the home side had 13. During the same press conference, Goff was asked about his feelings regarding the slow start despite scoring 26 points at the end.
“Yeah, whole season’s ahead of us. You know what, 13 games left now and have done some good things. This one’s going to sting, certainly because we had our chances to win it,” Goff stated. “But yeah, whole season ahead of us and a whole lot of ball ahead of us and a lot of things to get right. And I know one thing: we’re going to stick together and stay insulated in our bubble and lean on each other and make it right.”
While the final result didn’t go Lions’ way, Goff still gave a statistically strong performance.
Jared Goff Posted Big Numbers Against The Carolina Panthers
Jared Goff attempted 52 passes and completed 32. In the entire game, he threw for 412 passing yards, averaging 7.9 yards per attempt, while he also logged a passing touchdown without an interception. He was sacked only once in the final minutes of the game— but it ultimately was a costly error, stopping the Lions’ dramatic last-moment comeback.
Bryce Young 1,268 Jared Goff 1,214 Matthew Stafford 1,189 Joe Burrow 1,171 C.J. Stroud 1,141
Besides the big numbers last night, Goff is also among the top QBs in passing yards this season. Throwing for 329 passing yards, Panthers QB Bryce Young has 1,268 passing yards from four games, and he is closely followed by the Lions pocket passer, who has now logged 1,214 yards, heading toward another possible good season to rack up big numbers.
Lions’ Jared Goff Makes Honest Admission on Final Drive Heartbreak vs. Panthers