Huddle up! Here’s a look back at this weekend on the gridiron, with three key takeaways from the state’s football scene -- and a glimpse at what’s to come next week.
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Jared Goff, not draft talk or wins, will be biggest thing for Lions to monitor the rest of the season
The Lions actually won and snapped a five-game losing streak.
Hooray!
They are still 2-6.
From this point on, much of the focus should be on one thing and one thing only, and that’s not winning or where both of the Lions’ first round picks (their own and the Rams’ they own from the Matthew Stafford trade) will fall in the draft order.
While those will be important storylines, it’s nowhere near as vital as the play of quarterback Jared Goff.
Simply put, the final nine games will determine if the Lions will need to use their draft capital to find a franchise quarterback.
If Goff can show he’s capable of leading the Lions far, Detroit can use those picks to bolster the defense and acquire some potential franchise players on that unit.
If he can’t, then it would be better to just lose.
Winning games and worsening draft position that could net the right future franchise quarterback will be harmful in the long-term.
Goff, who can be cut for a way more reasonable cap hit after this year, has regressed the last four games after a hot start.
In his first four games, he threw for 1,126 yards, 11 touchdown and three interceptions. In his last four games, he has thrown for 915 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions.
In that time, his quarterback rating has dropped from 99.9 to 91.8.
For the future of the franchise, it’ll be Goff’s performance that will be the biggest thing to monitor over the last nine games.
Albion-Alma meet as unbeatens
Albion and Alma have played in football since 1900, but it’s a good bet there hasn’t been a bigger game in the rivalry than the one this Saturday at Alma.
Both teams enter 9-0 and the game will be for the MIAA championship.
Host Alma has started 9-0 for the first time in its 128-year history, while Albion is looking for its third straight league title.
Prep football playoffs reach regional stage
After an exciting set of games this past weekend in the district round of the state prep football playoffs, we’re on to the regional finals, aka the quarterfinals. Here are the best three matchups in the Detroit area.
Detroit Cass Tech (8-3) at Macomb Dakota (11-0)- Dakota enters unbeaten, but Cass Tech is peaking at the right time and playing as well as anybody.
Rochester Adams (10-1) at Clarkston (9-2) - Clarkston handed Adams its only loss of the season in September, winning 45-35 at Adams. Clarkston running back Ethan Clark rushed for 338 yards and six touchdowns last week against Davison.
Birmingham Brother Rice (5-5) at Detroit Martin Luther King (10-1) - Martin Luther King is the favorite, but as Brother Rice showed in beating Warren De La Salle earlier this year, it’s more than capable of an upset.