Lions QB Jared Goff shrugs off boos, three INTs to lead comeback win over Bears

Boos rained down on Jared Goff Sunday.

It was his first game as a Detroit Lion with three interceptions. Those turnovers played a monumental role in the Lions trailing the Chicago Bears by 12 points in the fourth quarter.

However, it was Goff’s resolve that had the Lions faithful roaring.

Goff led Detroit to a resounding comeback in which the Lions scored 17 straight points to emerge from Sunday with a 31-26 victory.

“So, here’s what we know about Goff: At the very least, he’s going to be mentally tough and physically tough, and you can always count on that,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said after the game. “You can bank on that. Today, he showed his resiliency, and when we needed those plays, he showed up in no-huddle mode.”

After a terrible start that drew the ire of the Lions faithful, Goff railed his pride, finishing the game with 236 passing yards, two touchdown passes and the aforementioned three interceptions for an ugly 68.3 passer rating.

“I get it. They’re upset, I’m upset,” Goff said of the boos. “They can be upset, and boo, it’s all right.”

Goff ended the game magnificently, going 5 for 5 for 71 yards with a 32-yard touchdown to Jameson Williams that cut the Lions’ deficit to 26-21 after the extra point with 2:59 to go.

After the Lions’ defense held the Bears to a pivotal three-and-out, Goff orchestrated the game-winning drive with 2:33 to go and 73 yards to get there. He was 4 of 6 for 35 yards before David Montgomery found pay dirt against his old squad. Goff tacked on a two-point conversion when he connected with Sam LaPorta for a 29-26 advantage.

The win put the Lions at 8-2 for the first time since 1962. So far this season, the Lions have lived up to the preseason expectations heaped upon them. With those grand hopes have come pressure not seen in some time for a franchise chasing its first NFL title since 1957.

Thus, Goff understood the negative reaction from the home crowd after he threw interceptions on each of Detroit’s first two possessions — and a third as one of four scoreless drives to begin the second half.

“I think the expectation for our team is higher than they’ve ever been, and you know, we want to win home games in front of our home fans against division opponents,” Goff said. “Today, we ultimately did that. We didn’t get there in a straight line, but we ultimately came out with the W, and again, it’s a testament to how tough and courageous we are on offense and defense.”

While Goff was hardly at his best, he persevered despite his worst.

That’s what impressed his head coach.

“I think it speaks volumes,” Campbell said. “He doesn’t have his best game, but it’s really when you needed him most. In a two-minute drive at the end of the half, that was pretty big. And then at the end of the game, down two scores, that’s when he’s at his best. In a game that he’s not playing his best game, I think that speaks volumes.

Overall, a bad day for Goff ended with another win for Detroit, which is amid its greatest start in more than 60 years, with its quarterback’s renaissance a major reason why.

“It’s a lot easier to play bad and win than it is to play bad and lose. Kind of what we did today,” he said. “We played not our best ball and not my best ball for about three and a half quarters. And find a way to make it work there at the end. It’s a sign of a good team. We’re a resilient group. We’re tough. We have a lot of courage, and we don’t back down from anything.”