Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff had another brilliant performance in what's become a consistent theme to this Detroit Lions season.
Goff threw at least three touchdowns for a fourth straight game in Detroit's 40-34 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. He threw touchdowns to three different players (Jameson Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta) as he completed 26-of-34 passes for 303 yards with no interceptions and a passer rating of 132.4.
"I thought Goff had a big game," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. "Goff played lights out today. And he's been playing like this. I just thought he took another step up, which is hard to believe with where he's been playing because it is such a high level."
Goff is really putting together a historic season. Monday was his eighth game of the season with a completion percentage of at least 75 percent to tie Tom Brady (2007) for the most such games in a season in NFL history.
It was his 11th game of the season with a 70 percent completion percentage and his seventh road game of the season completing 70 percent for a Lions team that finished undefeated on the road this season.
Goff is from California and said he had too many friends and family at the game to count. It had to be a special moment Monday to play the way he did in front of them all and beat the team he grew up a fan of.
"I feel like we're all playing at an elevated level right now on offense," Goff said. "The last handful of weeks, even the Buffalo game we lost, we scored a ton of points. We've been playing well on offense for quite some time, and I feel like I'm just part of that."
FAIRYTALE MATCHUP
Detroit's win Monday sets up a 'fairytale' matchup as Campbell called it in Detroit Sunday night as the Lions will welcome in the 14-2 Minnesota Vikings with the winner getting the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC, which comes with a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
"This is what you're in it for, man," Campbell said. "You couldn't write a better scenario. You couldn't come up with this. The fact that both teams are sitting at 14-2 and it's for the division and the No. 1 seed. It just doesn't get any better than this. This is fairytale stuff."
SEWELL UPDATE
All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell went to the locker room ahead of his teammates at halftime Sunday. It turns out the Lions were taking a look at his thumb.
Sewell came back and played the entire second half after just missing the one kneel-down snap to end the first half. Campbell said after the game Sewell was dealing with a thumb injury, but he wasn't worried about it.
"He should be good," Campbell said.
ANOTHER BIG DAY FOR JAMO
Don't look now but Williams is ending the regular season on a tear, which is great news for this already ultra-explosive Lions' offense.
Williams logged five receptions for 77 yards (15.4 avg.) and a touchdown and added a three-yard touchdown run in the win over the 49ers.
His big-play prowess continues to show up, taking a lateral from St. Brown in the second quarter to the house for a 41-yard touchdown. In doing so, Williams joins Cloyce Box (1952, 1950) as the only players in franchise history to log at least five touchdown receptions of 40-or-more yards in a single season.
EXTRA POINT
LaPorta is the first tight end in NFL history to produce at least 600 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns in each of a player's first two career seasons.
