Jared Goff did literally everything he could Monday night to will the Detroit Lions to a win over the Seattle Seahawks. He still didn’t get a game ball afterward for his efforts.
Lions coach Dan Campbell told reporters after his team’s 42-29 win that he didn’t realize Goff’s night was as great as the box score showed. In his unawareness, Campbell gave receiver Jameson Williams and safety Kerby Joseph the game balls for their strong play.
“I just gave the game ball to somebody else,” Campbell said while laughing at the podium. “So I feel awful right now.
“I knew he played a heck of a game. I did not realize he was perfect. I did not know he was literally 18 for 18.”
Dan Campbell didn’t realize Jared Goff was 18/18 tonight.
Campbell: “I just gave the game ball to somebody else. I feel awful.”
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) October 1, 2024
Goff finished with 292 passing yards and also caught a TD thrown by receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
“I thought what really kick-started him was that he had to move a little in the pocket, got spun around and hung with Jamo and hit him on the hook for the first down, that was big because he was rolling after that” Campbell said.
Goff’s perfect game was the first incompletion-free performance of his career, as far as he can remember.
“I knew I did it in the first half last week, so I was aware of it then, and I was kind of aware of it today in the middle of the third quarter, I couldn’t think of one (incompletion), but then I threw the one out of bounds that ended up being offensive pass interference and I was like, ‘Does that count?’ I didn’t know if that counted or not,” he said. “But yeah, good day.”
Williams, who finished with a team-high 80 receiving yards and scored a crucial third-quarter touchdown, was lauded by Campbell for his strong blocking. Joseph sealed the victory with a last-minute acrobatic interception in the end zone.
Kerby’s Extra Epic INT @JKERB25 #SEAvsDET | 📺 ABC/ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/UAll4Mnuth
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 1, 2024
But neither player, despite their key performances, made history like Goff. With his 18 for 18 night, Goff broke Kurt Warner’s NFL record from 2005 for most completions without an incompletion in a game.
“I saw at one point he was 15-of-15 and I didn’t know if he finished or not,” Lions offensive lineman Taylor Decker said. “He told me after the game. I was like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty incredible.’”
Required reading
(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
