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Highlights of Jared Goff's Appearance on 'Quarterback'
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) prepares to enter Ford Field Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Over the course of seven episodes, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff was among a select group of signal-callers featured in the second installment of the Netflix docuseries 'Quarterback'.

Here are several highlights of the 30-year-old, who was profiled along with Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Goff's journey to Detroit

Early in the first episode, Goff shares poignantly how much it meant for him for the Lions management to embrace him after being blindsided by the Rams, who made the decision to trade him without telling him reasons why.

Winning a playoff game at Ford Field and having fans "wrap their arms around me" really hit home for the veteran signal-caller, who was reeling back in 2020, as he felt discarded by the team that made him a No. 1 overall pick.

Late hands

The series showcased Goff's preparation for playing one of the toughest positions in football. There are opportunities to see Detroit's leader on offense watching film at his home.

In the past, the Seahawks had Detroit's number. In primetime, Ben Johnson was able to dial up a trick play that saw Amon-Ra St. Brown toss the football to Goff for a touchdown.

It was the first time Goff had ever been in the end zone for a receiving touchdown. Goff noted he showcased great fundamentals by flashing 'late hands' in order to avoid the trailing lineman swatting the football away.

"That week, we felt good about it in the red zone, that if we could get the right defensive call, and it would just come down to Jared making a play," Johnson said. "Now, what I didn't know about him was him having those late hands so the defender didn't find a way to bat that thing down."

The second episode also highlighted Goff going 18-for-18 for 292 yards and two touchdowns during the 42-29 win over the Seahawks. In a lighthearted moment, Dan Campbell admitted feeling embarrassed he neglected to know Goff had a perfect game and did not give him a game ball immediately after the game.

'Purple Red Bus' and playing through pain

One of the challenging aspects of playing quarterback is learning all the terminolgy and adapting quickly to what defenses are trying to accomplish, all within the confines of the play clock.

Goff and his wife Christen shared how she assists to help him memorize plays each and every week.

Another of the lighthearted moments is Goff sharing with his wife that the play "purple red bus" is a halfback toss.

Goff rolled his ankle pretty badly against the Titans, which allowed viewers to see his toughness.

He noted that if he feels that he can execute his job properly, nothing would take him off of the football field. His work with his trainer Dave Martin highlighted the lengths needed to overcome injuries that pop up during the course of a season.

'Give me the wasp'

On a couple of occasions, practice footage was highlighted to showcase how Detroit's offense would craft and perfect plays that would evenetually work in games.

Among them was a play signal named "wasp" that featured a double move by tight end Sam LaPorta. During film review, the Lions learned that a Texans safety had a tendency to bite too hard on cuts.

After trailing on Sunday Night Football, the offense took advantage of a defensive weakness and were able to find Sam LaPorta for an explosive play.

Despite having a game in which he threw for five interceptions, the Lions signal-caller was resilient until the end of the game.

The Dan Campbell speech before the Packers game in Week 14 was also noteworthy, as the popular coach directly let Goff know how important he would need to be in a game against a division rival.

Bills showdown and inside 'Stumblebum'

In a matchup against a Super Bowl contender, the Lions knew the game would be high scoring. Unfortunately, the injuries suffered to the defense all throughout the season caught up to Campbell's squad, as the Lions suffered their second loss of the season.

The fifth episode featured an inside look at how the "stumblebum" play that worked against the Bears came together. Practice footage showcased how the Lions practiced a play that saw Goff pretend to lose his footing, Jahmyr Gibbs falling down and eventually exploiting the Bears defense committing to running towards the football in the backfield, which led to another great pass play to LaPorta.

Dealing with noise

The sixth episode featured how quarterbacks deal with all the noise at the position. Despite athletes trying to state they do not hear what is said about them, it is clear outside narratives are brought to the attention of all quarterbacks.

Goff made it a point to highlight that others thought he could not pass the football in the cold.

In previous episodes, Goff also highlighted his competitiveness and propensity to trash talk opponents who fail to make a play.

One of the interesting moments was against the Titans in which Goff noted he did not feel bad at all the Lions were winning by a large margin, as the Lions were on the wrong side of the scoreboard quite a bit back in 2021.

Goff was shown fishing and spending time with his pet dog Quincy.

Heartbreak in the playoffs

The most gut-wrenching moment of the series is the Lions upset loss to the Commanders.

Goff indicated his interception that was returned for a touchdown still haunts him and that he thinks about the game every morning when he wakes up.

The abruptness of a season ending that started with such high expectations was highlighted by his wife, who was shocked watching the loss in the stands with family and friends.


This article first appeared on Detroit Lions on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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