Jared Goff motivated greatly by Lions' new underdog status within NFC North

The Detroit Lions have been one of the most successful teams in the NFL over the last two seasons, but not even that has been enough to buy them goodwill with many in the media.

Despite the fact that the Lions have won back-to-back NFC North titles, there's a question about whether the team can meet expectations again. Many believe the Lions are going to take a step back because they have endured several changes this offseason.

Jared Goff hasn't been listening to any of the hype either way this offseason as he's been putting in the work with his teammates. Despite the fact that the Lions feel like one of the top teams in the league, Goff insists he doesn't know where the Lions are in the pecking order entering the season, even though it's clear he prefers to be underrated.

"It's confusing, because I don't even know where we stand externally. I don't know what people (predict) and I don't really care. Are we supposed to be good? Are we supposed to be bad? (There's) all these different story lines. We can't ride that roller coaster and we don't. We shall see, time will tell and (we're) going to try to win this first one and move on from there. But yeah, I like being on this (underdog) side more when they doubt us if that answers your question."

The Lions thrived in 2022 and 2023 when they were hunting in the division and the NFC. Though they went 15-2 last season, it's tough to become the hunted and find a way to remain on top. Perhaps the Lions only needed a perceived slight to fuel their mental resurgence this season. Goff would no doubt agree with this.

Goff not worried about Packers recently adding Micah Parsons in trade

Despite Goff's insistence that the team doesn't know where they stand heading into the season, the fact is, most considered the Lions a good bet to win the NFC North yet again. Now, with Parsons joining Green Bay, the Packers may have edged over Detroit in the mind of many experts.

Goff wasn't surprised to see Parsons get traded, but he was quick to point out that the edge rusher's status is firmly up in the air for Week 1's game. Additionally, Goff knows the division was always going to be competitive no matter who comes in at this point in time.

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"There were some rumors going on there, so I guess I wasn't really surprised when it happened. He's a great player and adds to an already competitive division and certainly (he) is a tough player to face, but we'll see. I know he had the back injury, so we'll see if he ends up being out there."

The bottom line? No matter who may be favored before the season and week to week, there's no question betting lines and projections aren't the end-all, be-all in the leagues, and games have to be decided by play.

"Las Vegas has been wrong before, right? Who knows. We'll see. I think they're a good team. They added a good player and we're all zero and zero, so we will see."