Jared Goff reveals why Lions could have a big Week 5 advantage over Bengals

The Detroit Lions know all too well the perils of an NFL schedule, and as they come off a short week, they shift to a wounded opponent also set to go through the same logistical issues.

In Week 3, the Lions defeated the Baltimore Ravens in a physical, emotional Monday Night Football game. Then, they had to abruptly shift focus and prepare for the Cleveland Browns, one of the league's best defenses.

You'll have to excuse them if they don't feel badly for the Cincinnati Bengals, then, as they get set to do a similar thing in Week 5. The Bengals sustained an ugly 28-3 loss to the Denver Broncos Monday and had to fly back east on short rest to prepare for a home game with the tough Lions.

Jared Goff knows all too well the difficulties of Monday Night games and short weeks. Joining "Karsch and Anderson" on 97.1 The Ticket, he explained what Cincinnati faces, and revealed why everything feels slightly off on such a short week.

"You're just a little bit behind. There's no way around it. It's just the math of it. I don't know what time they landed, but they're starting on us now in theory and we started yesterday. It was the same thing for Cleveland last week and we were a day behind. It sucks."

More than anything mentally, the physical challenge is the biggest stumbling block in Goff's mind. The week starts off with a lack of sleep, and preparation is quickly cramped, putting a team in a difficult spot.

"The hardest part is you're tired. For us, landing from Baltimore, (we) got home at 4:30 in the morning and you're expected to go to sleep and wake up at whatever time and get back to work. It's not ideal, but everyone in the league has to deal with it and we got ours out of the way last week and now they're dealing with it this week."

The Bengals are a very bruised 2-2, coming in with a critical injury to quarterback Joe Burrow that has challenged their roster. That combined with a short week could set up an ideal situation for the Lions to pounce and remain hot.

Goff looking more fleet of foot in 2025 to quietly help Lions' offense

In addition to the schedule, there's another subtle thing that could give the Lions an advantage as they get set to get back on the road. Goff has been able to extend the play in the pocket a bit better than usual in 2025 due to his shocking fleetness of foot.

As Goff explained, he has focused on moving around and improving his foot speed as it relates to escaping in multiple different offseasons. Even if it seems as if he is much better this season, he hasn't put any more or less focus on the trait in terms of his preparation lately.

READ MORE: Bengals' star receivers miss Joe Burrow, but they'll still test Lions' corners

"I'm always working on that. I don't know if it's something I put more emphasis on this year rather than others. I'm always trying to get better at that through the offseason and different training ways and working on my foot speed and quickness in the pocket. I'm obviously not going to run for a ton of yards, but if I can keep my feet hot and move around the pocket quickly, it helps us."

This week, Goff is going to have deftness in the pocket with Trey Hendrickson bearing down on him up front. Last week, he had to deal with Myles Garrett and did a good job. Hendrickson will pose a similar challenge this time around no matter how good a resurgent offensive line is playing.

Perhaps the Lions will be able to count on a little less gas in the tank from the Bengals to help them over the top on the road. If that's the case, the schedule makers could be the biggest culprits.