Cal in NFL: Jared Goff's Rough Start in Detroit

Lions' quarterback faces a different criticism with his new team, which has lost twice on the final play of the game

Former Cal quarterback Jared Goff has had a difficult start with the Detroit Lions, and a couple of gut-wrenching, last-second losses have not helped. And now Goff is facing criticism that is the opposite of the criticism he faced while with the Rams.

The Rams' trust in Goff allegedly declined in part because he was reluctant to throw the ball downfield. He repeatedly checked down to a secondary receiver for short gains, seldom producing explosive plays downfield.

Now the Lions are 0-5, and first-year Detroit head coach Dan Campbell had this to say on Monday regarding Goff:

“I think he’s trying to take chances, sometimes, at a fault,” Campbell said. “I think he’s trying to get it downfield sometimes when maybe he ought to go to the first look.”

So now his eagerness to send the ball downfield is getting complaints from the coaches.

Goff ranks 21st in the NFL in passer rating, but the bigger issue is turnovers.

Goff had two turnovers in Sunday’s loss to the Vikings and he narrowly missed a third when Vikings safety Harrison Smith dropped a would-be interception.

This season Goff has thrown three interceptions and has fumbled six times, the latter leading the NFL.

He has committed 45 turnovers since the start of the 2019 season, and that is the most by any player in that span.

However, Vito Chirco of the All Lions website suggests that general manager Brad Holmes has not provided Goff with enough receiving weapons.

And after five weeks of it, enough is enough. The fans are fed up with the offense's lack of progression, and it's become painfully obvious: Detroit general manager Brad Holmes didn't do enough this offseason to supply Goff with sufficient receiving options.

The Lions and Jaguars are the only winless teams in the NFL, but the Lions have had several close losses. The Lions scored a touchdown and two-point conversion with 37 seconds left to take the lead against the Vikings this past Sunday. But the Vikings won it on the last play of the game on a 54-yard field goal.

With that, the Lions became the first team in NFL history to lose twice in the same season when the opponent kicked field goals of 50 yards or more on the final play of the fourth quarter to take the lead.

Three weeks ago, the Lions lost on a record-breaking 66-yard field goal from Ravens kicker Justin Tucker on the final play.

The final score in both those losses was 19-17.

"It's as hard as it gets in this league," Goff said after Sunday's loss.

Check out highlights from postgame media availability following the Week 5 matchup against the Vikings. pic.twitter.com/x12xaMVq0F

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 11, 2021

It wouldn't take much to get Goff and the Lions going in the other direction.

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Cover photo of Jared Goff by Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports

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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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