The last time a QB won despite 5 interceptions before Lions' Jared Goff
The Detroit Lions beat the Houston Texans 26-23 on Sunday Night Football. Detroit remains on top of the NFC at 8-1 and pulled off another improbable win despite bad play from their quarterback. Jared Goff threw five interceptions before the fourth quarter began, putting Houston in the driver's seat. The Lions's defense stood tall and Jake Bates made two long field goals to win the game.
When was the last time a quarterback won a game with five interceptions? Dante Koplowitz-Fleming of NFL.com has the answer.
"Goff became just the third quarterback in the last 30 years to win a game in which he threw at least five interceptions — joining Matt Ryan in 2012 against the Cardinals and Tony Romo in 2007 against the Bills."
Goff's excellence this season has been in passing efficiency. He combined for 22 incompletions and 13 touchdowns from Week 3 to Week 9. The Lions did not lose any of those games and skyrocketed to the top of the standings. On Sunday night, the Texans forced 15 incompletions but allowed two touchdowns which changed the game.
This game must be an aberration for Goff for the Lions to finally reach the Super Bowl. While it was not a five-interception game, he did not succeed in the NFC Championship Game. This win showed their organizational depth but they need to have their quarterback on top of his game to win.
The Lions run through Jared Goff
The most famous Dan Campbell post-game locker room speech was from the NFC Wild Card Round last year. After Goff and the Lions beat Matthew Stafford and the Rams , Campbell told him "You are good enough for Detroit, Jared Goff." Sean McVay made the trade for Stafford because he did not trust Goff. To say it was a win-win trade would be a drastic understatement.
Goff is blessed with a dynamic surrounding cast on the Lions' offense. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery make the best running-back duo in football, Amon-Ra St. Brown is a superstar, and Sam LaPorta is coming into his own. The quarterback has taken advantage of it and put the Lions in a great position this season.
Things must turn around for Goff fairly quickly. They have a Sunday game against the Jaguars, who are struggling on both sides of the ball. They have another fairly easy game against the Colts before their division schedule picks up. A Thanksgiving game against the Packers followed by a Thursday game against the Bears will tell the story of the Lions' season.
