Jared Goff Feels He Throws 'Better' with Gloves

Goff ready to take on cold weather of Chicago in Week 16.

Nov 3, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) celebrates as he runs off the field following the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Boy, will it be cold for the Lions-Bears Week 16 matchup. By the time of kickoff Sunday (1 p.m. EST), The Weather Channel is predicting that it will be 31 degrees at Soldier Field, but will feel more like a frigid 22 degrees. And by the expected end of the game (4 p.m.), the temperature is expected to rise all the way to – wait for it – just 32 degrees.

These conditions will put to the test the theory that Jared Goff and the Lions are not equipped to play in cold weather.

To combat the frigid temps, there's a chance that Goff will wear his signature white gloves, something that he did on both hands in Detroit's Week 9 win over the Packers at Lambeau Field.

“I've got different tools I can use, like you mentioned, the gloves. We'll see how it goes on Sunday, if I feel like I need them,” Goff told Tim Twentyman on this week's episode of the “Twentyman in the Huddle” podcast.

As for the determining factor on whether he will don the gloves, the veteran signal-caller expressed, “Usually just pregame, I can tell right away, just feel (of the ball). And I throw it, sometimes I joke with myself, I throw it better with the gloves on. So, I feel good with those things on.”

The Lions did lose their last road tilt with the Bears, a game which just so happened to occur last December. That is a thing of the distant past, though, as Dan Campbell's team has been the definition of road warriors this season. In fact, Goff & Co. have yet to lose a road contest in 2024 (6-0).

For Goff, it's the perfect representation of the team's “Detroit vs. Everybody” mentality. 

“It's cool. Detroit vs. Everybody, man. It is (that simple),” Goff said of the key to the Lions’ road supremacy. “And three games in a row in front of our fans was cool. Don't get me wrong. But, sometimes you like going on the road and feeling everyone against you. And I'm sure we'll have a pretty good contingency out there of Lions fans. You like that feeling a little bit. You like hearing the crowd get quiet when you throw a touchdown. You like having that everyone's against you feeling, and we'll get that for the next two weeks.”

On Sunday, the Lions will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing Week 15 loss to Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. It saw Aaron Glenn's injury-ravaged defense give up a season-high 48 points. Since then, a large sect of Detroit fans have reacted ultra negatively, acting as if the Lions’ season – despite the 12-2 start – is over all of a sudden.

It's a sentiment that hasn't made much sense to Goff.

“I don't quite understand the sentiment of that,” the veteran quarterback expressed. “I knew it would happen at whatever point, that the winning streak would come to an end. Of course, you don't want it to come to an end. You want it to go all the way through the Super Bowl and to win every game. But, it's hard, it's really hard.” 

If you trust in the words of Goff, there's no reason to think for even a second that the “sky is falling down” on the Lions.

“We're in good shape, man,” Goff said. “We're 12-2, we've got three games ahead of us. We've got a big division game this week, one that we'll be fired up for and I'm sure they'll be fired up on the other side. We'll be going one at a time, we want to win this one and then so on and so forth. But, we're in fine shape.

“And I think Dan does a good job of leading that charge and keeping us level headed. And to be honest, people always ask, ‘What's changed? What's different?’ Nothing. It's the same as it was last week. It's the same as it was the week before. Nothing’s changed internally besides our record, and we're good.”

In the first time out against the Bears this season, Goff & Co. produced 23 points in a winning effort, but squandered multiple opportunities to score more. In fact, the Lions went just two-for-five in the red zone in the Week 13 contest.

Per Goff, expect offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to insert a new wrinkle or two into the gameplan for Sunday's divisional matchup with Chicago.

"That's the chess game that you play," Goff said of being able to scheme for a team a second time in a season. "It's fun for Ben and I, and more fun for him. He's trying to decide what play to call and what design to come up with tonight and throughout the week. It's cool to play that game a little bit.

"Now, it becomes even more complicated when they change coaching (Thomas Brown is current Bears interim head coach), and so you don't even really know what's the new guy's philosophy. So, there are a lot of pieces there. But at the same time, we're going to change things as well, so they'll have to prepare for that."