Getty Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff argued that recent statistics don't tell the full story with his team.
The Detroit Lions haven’t been at their best the last few games. They may even be regressing. That’s the narrative around the team after having lost 28-13 to the Chicago Bears in Week 14. But Lions quarterback Jared Goff is buying into that.
In a one-on-one interview with FOX 2’s Dan Miller, Goff pushed back on the idea that the Lions are no longer a serious NFL contender.
“You cherry pick stats, ok, we’re 2-2 in the last four,” Goff said to Miller. “Cherry pick the last seven, cherry pick the last eight. You can do this all day.”
The Lions have lost two of their past three games, but as Goff implied, that may not be telling a full story. Prior to that recent downward trend, the Lions had won three in a row.
Lions’ Jared Goff Expresses Quiet Confidence
Goff went a little out of character addressing some of the outside noise that the Lions are facing after a disappointing performance in Chicago. But Detroit fans have probably heard a lot of the rest of Goff’s answers to Miller because he’s said them before this season.
While Goff admitted that his team needs to keep improving, he also suggested the Lions aren’t after style points.
“It’s not always perfect, and we’re fortunate enough to sit here with nine wins,” said Goff. “A lot of teams would be happy to be at that place right now, but we gotta certainly do some things to play a little better ball the next few weeks.”
With Week 15 on the horizon, the NFL schedule is about the enter the home stretch. Goff implied how important it will be for the Lions to regain their killer instinct for the final four weeks.
“Continue to heighten the urgency and understand what the situation we’re in is. How important everyday is, how important every hour is for the time that we’re in this building,” said Goff.
‘Cherry Pick’ the Last Eight Games for Lions
Goff’s point is well taken. Statistics can often tell any story that someone wants them to.
But there’s one obvious flaw in Goff’s logic. Even if one “cherry picks” the Lions last seven games as Goff advocated, Detroit holds just a 4-3 record.
Again, that seven-game stretch includes a 3-game winning streak, but all of those wins were against teams with losing records. The Lions also needed a 12-point fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Bears in Week 11.
Detroit’s defense has been particularly suspect over the past seven contests. The Lions have allowed an average of 28.7 points per game and about 356 yards per contest during that stretch.
The Lions offense has continued to produce at a high rate, but giveaways have plagued the unit. In the past seven games, Goff has thrown 7 interceptions and lost 3 fumbles.
In the first six games of the season, Goff had only 3 interceptions and zero fumbles.
The deteriorating play (and health) of the Detroit offensive line could be contributing to Goff’s rash of turnovers. The Lions have allowed 15 sacks in the past seven games. Opponents had 10 sacks in the first six games versus Detroit.
Seven games also isn’t a small sample. It’s nearly half a season.
Goff did what he could in his interview with Miller to provide his team confidence for Week 15. But the best way for the Lions to silence their critics is to play the last four games more like they did at the beginning of the season.