Jared Goff led the Detroit Lions to a playoff win over his former team on Sunday night, guiding the Lions to a 24-23 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round.
Afterward, Rams head coach Sean McVay said he was glad Goff played the way he did.
“Jared was really efficient,” McVay said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “You can see the command he has. I think there’s a lot made of it, but I’m really happy for him. Obviously we wanted to come away with the win, but he’s done a great job. I think the grit, the resilience, and the way he’s done his thing here over the last three years, I’m happy for Jared, and I certainly am appreciative of the four years we had together.”
Goff was originally selected by Los Angeles with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. McVay was not yet coaching the Rams at that time, but he took over as head coach the following year.
The University of California product went on to earn back-to-back trips to the Pro Bowl in 2017 and 2018, and during the 2019-20 campaign, he led Los Angeles to a Super Bowl appearance.
Goff was traded to the Lions in exchange for Matthew Stafford in March 2021, and that ensuing season, Stafford led the Rams to a Super Bowl. That had most believing that Goff was the problem in LA.
So, you can imagine how gratifying it felt for Goff to beat the Rams this past weekend.
Goff went 22-for-27 with 277 yards and a touchdown during the affair, leading Lions to their first playoff win since January 1992.
The 29-year-old is in his third season in Detroit. During the regular season, he threw for 4,575 yards, 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 67.3 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 97.9.
Jared Goff and the Lions will take on the winner of the Philadelphia Eagles-Tampa Bay Buccaneers matchup in the Divisional Round next weekend.
Meanwhile, Sean McVay and the Rams will head into the offseason to regroup.
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