The Lions, who not long ago had no chance to win at Lambeau Field, shredded the Cheeseheads (again) on Thursday night. The development has Detroit quarterback Jared Goff writing some sizable checks.
“Send us anywhere and we’ll be ready,” Goff said after the 34-17 victory, via ESPN.com. “And that’s the way we’re built.”
“We have that confidence. Like I said, send us anywhere. Line us up against anyone, and we feel like we can go in there and beat them, and that’s a good feeling to have. Is it always gonna happen? I don’t know, but we feel like we can. We have that confidence in ourselves, in our coaches and each other. We’re working together really well right now.”
It didn’t happen in Week 2, when the Lions lost their home opener against the Seahawks. And the Lions would be the underdogs against teams like the 49ers (whom they don’t play this season), the Dolphins (ditto), the Bills (same), the Eagles (same), and the Chiefs (even though the Lions already have beaten them). There’s a showdown looming with the Cowboys, but that doesn’t happen until Saturday, December 30.
It’s very important to have confidence, even if the confidence borders on delusion. It’s not nearly as delusional as it once was to think the Lions can play with everyone, and that they can indeed beat anyone.
The real test comes in January. They’ll win the division, barring disaster. Will they fatten up on a relatively soft schedule to get the No. 1 seed? And, regardless of whether they do, what will happen when they cross paths with the Eagles or the 49ers?
Believing they can beat them is the first step toward doing so.