Goff scores twice in narrow win over the Jets

The Lions staked the Bills to a 21-point lead early in the second quarter, eventually taking a 27-10 deficit into the break. The closest they would get the rest of the game was a 10-point deficit, but the offense finally came alive in the final two frames. Goff tossed a pair of touchdowns to alpha wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and one each to Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs, salvaging the poor team performance with an elite fantasy score for managers brave enough to start him on the road in the elements. The Lions fall to 1-1 ahead of a much more forgiving home matchup against the Jets in Week 3, where Goff will look to return another QB1 performance.

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.

Goff and the Lions were unable to get almost anything going in the first half. They entered halftime with 10 points on the board and things went from bad to worse coming out of the break. Detroit’s only drive in the third quarter was a three-play possession that ended in a safety. In a frantic comeback mode, Goff found his rhythm and put up 14 points in the final quarter of action. He then marched Detroit down the field with time expiring and found Amon-Ra St. Brown at the goal line. Pittsburgh’s defense stood ARSB up and he pitched the ball back to Goff, who dove into the end zone for the game-winning score. The play, however, was called off because of offensive pass interference on St. Brown. Time expired, and with it went most of the Lions’ playoff hopes. The Lions aren’t out of the picture entirely, but they are hanging on by a thread. Goff will remain a mid-range QB1 in a must-win game versus the Vikings next week.

There wasn’t really much Goff did wrong in this one — he only took one sack and managed two red zone strikes to Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Lions converted their two fourth-down gos. The running game was bad and put Goff in big spots that he usually delivered on, and the game turned when Detroit fell apart in the third quarter, as between the sack and a couple rough plays they punted three straight times. Goff corrected course, but couldn’t keep pace with the Rams, who averaged 7.5 yards per play to Detroit’s 6.4. A Week 16 date with the Steelers should keep Goff on the QB1 line.