Goff: Ben Johnson 'Ducking' Race

Who wins in 40-yard dash between Goff and Johnson?

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) talks to offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has sparked a debate with his affinity for scrambling in key moments early in the season.

After offensive coordinator Ben Johnson publicly stated that he's been challenging the veteran quarterback to a race in the 40-yard dash, Goff responded by stating that he believes the coordinator is actually the one avoiding the showdown.

“I’m not ducking him," Goff quipped. "I’ve been telling him for years I'm faster than him.” 

The passer doubled down on this, joking that the coordinator could be avoiding him to stay away from the risk of injury.

“He doesn’t want to race me, he doesn’t want to pull a hammy,” Goff said.  

Goff has played his way into the NFL MVP conversation early in the year, particularly with his recent stretch over the Lions' four-game winning streak. When asked about the talk surrounding him, he was quick to credit the success of others around him and the team as a whole.

“Typically, the guys on the best teams in the league that happens to and a whole lot of guys on this team that could be in the talk and we’re just going to try to keep winning games,” Goff explained.

Goff's success has been noticed nationally, but it's come from efforts that his teammates have seen every day in practice. Penei Sewell pointed out the impact that the veteran has been able to have with strong performances in practice.

“Yeah. I mean, he’s playing at a high level," Sewell said. "I don’t really pay attention to those accolades and those individual things. But yeah, the guy’s playing at a high level, and we’ve seen it time and time again in practice. Now, he’s just executing it in games.” 

Preparing to be without Jameson Williams

As Jameson Williams has a two-game suspension pending, the Lions are preparing for the fact that they will have to suit up for two weeks without one of their top offensive playmakers.

While Goff expects to potentially see less cloud coverage, which is what teams were deploying to prevent Williams from burning them, he doesn't anticipate much more in the area of change from defenses.

He's also expecting good things from those asked to step up in Williams' absence. The "next man up" mentality has been a core principle in the Lions' culture, and it will be tested once again.

“No doubt, yes. I think when guys miss games like Hutch and anyone that gets hurt, it’s part of our DNA to be 'next man up' and try to be ready and never flinch," Goff said. "It happens during the game, David (Montgomery) was hurt for a little bit during the game and we thought he might be out for the game. Jahmyr (Gibbs) stepped in and started playing really well. So yeah, you just never know how a game’s gonna go, and we’ve got a good group that’s ready to go.” 

One player in particular who could be asked to do more is Allen Robinson. A veteran who was signed to the active roster ahead of Week 4, Robinson has had a minimal impact. He has appeared in just two of the games, with one target, since joining the active roster.

However, if Williams is, in fact, absent in the near future, Robinson could be called upon to be an impactful player. Though he hasn't had a large impact, he has earned the respect of coaches and teammates through his work ethic.

“Both of those guys, him and Tim (Patrick), it’s been really cool to see two veteran guys that have had pretty good success in this league and have had their own successful career up to this point and come in here, drop their ego, and say, ‘I’m going to be a part of this team,’" Goff stated. "Both of them have done such a great job, and I think Allen, in particular, not getting the reps that Tim has and still every day in practice showing up and doing his thing. And, today was no different. It was great.”