Jared Goff showed up in Detroit ready to prove he could win without Sean McVay.
So far, he has failed to achieve that simple task.
Goff is, in fact, winless in his career without McVay as his head coach.
The Detroit Lions enter Thanksgiving with an 0-9-1 record and are looking to make a statement on national television.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears are hoping to avoid a loss that could lead to jobs being lost.
Goff particularly will be in the spotlight as he is expected to return from his oblique injury.
So what can he prove with a good performance?
Starting From Scratch
Goff can treat the Thanksgiving game as a fresh start.
He missed last week’s game in Cleveland and now returns with seven games to go on the season.
The Lions were never going to make the playoffs and the goal this year was just to build some structure as Dan Campbell took over as head coach.
What Goff can prove is that he is indeed the team’s best option at quarterback both this year and in 2022.
The Lions are already on the hook for his $26 million in salary next year, so benching him would represent a giant waste of money.
A lot of fans poked fun at Goff for struggling to eclipse 100 yards in the tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Yet the weather was awful in that game and hey, a tie is better than a loss.
Campbell needs to let Goff air it out Thursday and show off the abilities he had out in Los Angeles with McVay.
The Lions truly have nothing to lose and a few deep interceptions are better than watching check-down after check-down.
Goff does not look like the long-term answer in Detroit.
But a win Thursday could allow him to assert his status as a solid option under center while the Lions build out the rest of the roster and eventually bring in their quarterback of the future.
Because if Goff can’t succeed, it would be tough for a rookie to step in and do well given the holes all over the offense.
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