Goff, Lions come alive in 2H, still fall to Bills

Sacks and a few errant throws under pressure derailed the Lions’ first three drives. Goff got things back on track after that, guiding the offense to seven straight scoring drives, including six touchdowns. He even punched in a one-yard rushing touchdown via a quarterback sneak, marking his first rushing score since 2023. Goff could have boosted his passing yards total with a likely explosive gain by targeting an open Jameson Williams on the first drive after halftime, but he instead checked down to Sam LaPorta in the flats for an eight-yard pickup. The Lions are on bye in Week 6, but Goff will be a locked-in QB1 against the Packers in Week 7.

Goff has now thrown a touchdown pass in 27 straight contests, a streak that started in the team’s Thanksgiving day contest against the Bears in 2024. He could move into sixth on the all-time list for consecutive games with a touchdown pass should he throw for at least one touchdown in each game this season. He came within four minutes of breaking that streak against the Panthers, needing a late touchdown to tight end Sam LaPorta to keep it alive in a game the Panthers dictated with their defense throughout. Goff also maintained his clean sheet of no interceptions thrown to start the season but it wasn’t enough to overcome a defense that ceded 445 yards of total offense to a Panthers team without two of their top three wide receivers in Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette. The Lions fall to 2-2, now two games behind the division-leading Vikings through the first month of play. Goff remains a surefire QB1 ahead of a potential shootout against the Cardinals in Week 5.

Goff and the Lions got off to a slow start with just three points over their first three drives. Things started to click before halftime and Goff rode that momentum to 21 points after the break. Excluding a few kneel-downs to end the game, Detroit scored on five of their final six drives. The Lions have scored exactly 31 points in all three of their games this year. That may be a bit higher than their projection for Week 4 against the Panthers, but not by all that much. Goff will remain in the QB1 mix versus Carolina next week.

Goff struggled to get much going early on this game, putting up seven points in the first half. The Lions quickly dropped 14 in the third quarter but took their foot off the gas with the Saints struggling to do much of anything. That nearly came back to bite them as Tyler Shough led a frantic comeback while the Lions amassed three points in the final frame. An overtime touchdown to Amon-Ra St. Brown proved to be just enough to come home with the win, though it required a failed two-point conversion from the Saints. Despite the slow start, Goff should return to the QB1 ranks when he squares off with the Ravens next week.

The Lions are retaining “all” of last year’s play-calling verbiage, and “it was on Drew Petzing to learn the offense,” not the other way around. Goff apparently “had as much of a hand in getting Petzing familiar with the offense as the offensive staff did.” Mays believes these developments speak to the command, agency and autonomy that Goff possesses at this stage in his career. We agree. For those who were concerned about the Lions scrapping the tactics that coach Dan Campbell employed as the Lions’ play caller in Weeks 10-18 last year, it sounds like those concepts aren’t going anywhere. Will Petzing be allowed to add his own elements to that playbook? Yes, we assume so. At the end of the day, this year’s offense could look a lot like last year’s fantasy-friendly unit, though. Draft accordingly.

The move lowers Goff’s 2026 salary cap hit from $55 million to just $15 million and adds a void year in 2030. It allows the team to get under the salary cap before today’s deadline. In 2024 Goff, 32, signed a four year extension that included $170 million in guaranteed money — one of the richest contracts in the history of the NFL. Since the start of the 2024 season, Goff ranks fifth among all QBs in EPA per drop back and sixth in completion rate over expected. He has at least 30 touchdown passes in each of this past three seasons in the Lions’ efficient offensive system.

This will be the sixth regular season NFL game played in Germany as part of the league’s international series. It will feature Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, a German-American and the centerpiece of the Detroit offense. Last year St. Brown was fifth in receiving yards and fourth in wideout receptions. The Lions will be looking to bounce back from a relatively disappointing 2025 campaign after losing OC Ben Johnson to the Bears.

The Lions finished with a winning record for the fourth consecutive season, coinciding with the fourth-straight year of 4,000 or more passing yards from Goff. He ends 2025 ranked third in passing with 4,564 yards, and had a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 34-to-7. The veteran quarterback enters his age-32 season under contract through 2028 after signing a four-year extension prior to the 2024 season, giving the organization ample time to return to their previously dominant ways in the NFC North. Furthermore, he should retain the bulk of his primary supporting cast, making it likely he can return yet another QB1 season in 2026. The lack of rushing upside should keep his fantasy stock towards the end of the QB1s, right in line with where he came into the 2025 season.

It sounds like most of Detroit’s regulars will be going against the Bears in Week 18, though perhaps if there’s any long-term concern about a particular injury, a player or two could sit. Detroit has nothing to play for but can still spoil Chicago’s bid to be the No. 2 seed.

Horrendous, down-bad play from Goff, and he was the best quarterback on the field. Max Brosmer was able to avoid the mistakes because the Vikings refused to allow them to happen, and Goff’s five turnovers were too much for Detroit to overcome. With the loss, Detroit is now eliminated from playoff contention. Goff will have a chance to compile some stats in a meaningless game against the Bears in Week 18. Fantasy managers who rostered Goff for this one are going to have to play catch up.