DETROIT – Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff almost set an NFL record for passes thrown without an interception, but now he’s thrown one three games in a row.
Going into the second game of the season against the Seattle Seahawks, Goff was closing in on Aaron Rodgers’ record of 402 consecutive pass attempts without an interception.
But midway through the fourth quarter, with the Lions down three and trying to mount a go-ahead drive, Goff threw a pass into the arms of Tre Brown, who returned it 40 yards for a touchdown.
The Lions ultimately lost in overtime, so that pick-six was costly.
Goff’s streak ended at 383 -- third all-time behind Rodgers and Tom Brady, who once threw 399 straight passes without a pick.
Goff tried the start a new streak against the Atlanta Falcons, but threw an interception late in the third quarter on his own 43-yard line. The Lions defense forced a turnover on downs and preserved a 10-point lead.
Then, last week in Green Bay, Goff threw a pick on the very first drive, spotting the Packers a 3-0 lead after the defense came through once again.
Overall, Goff has been very reliable this season. He’s thrown for 1,029 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions through four games, with a 69.5% completion rate and an average of 7.9 yards per attempt.
Head coach Dan Campbell was asked about those turnovers during his Monday press conference.
“Nobody wants those,” Campbell said. “We don’t. But I don’t feel like he’s pressing. He’ll tell you he made an error. He made a mistake. He’s falling away in the pocket and makes an ill-advised throw, his eyes were on the receiver.
“The best part about it was he didn’t get frazzled. He went right back to work and he didn’t let it -- we were fortunate it didn’t hurt us because our defense went right out and put the fire out. That’s what you’ve got to be able to do is overcome those errors.”
At the time, the interception felt like a big play. The Lions and Packers were tied for first place in the NFC North, and the stage doesn’t get much bigger than primetime at Lambeau Field.
But Goff came right back onto the field and led a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. After another defensive stop, the Lions went 55 yards on eight plays to go up 14-3.
“I don’t feel any panic,” Campbell said. “He came up to me right after the game. He knows. He doesn’t want it to happen, but what I want more than anything is I don’t want him to go into a shell or start panicking, and he’s not, and I love that.”
The Lions ultimately beat the Packers with relative ease, and nobody cared about Goff’s early interception. But even though the defense has been able to bail him out twice, Goff does need to take better care of the ball going forward.
“It’s something that he’s thinking about, we’ll be on top of, and the ability to overcome those -- because some of those will happen -- that helps you win, certainly,” Campbell said.
