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Jared Goff’s Lions Tie for Best NFL Record; Aaron Rodgers Throws

Both former Cal quarterbacks in the spotlight on Sunday, each looking good for different reasons
Jake Curtis|
Jared Goff’s Lions Tie for Best NFL Record; Aaron Rodgers Throws
Jared Goff’s Lions Tie for Best NFL Record; Aaron Rodgers Throws

Lions quarterback Jared Goff passed another test on Sunday, leading Detroit to a 20-6 road victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and no NFL team has a better record than Detroit right now.

Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers also passed a test of sorts, as he threw passes on the field – without crutches – before the Jets game. The Jets then went out and beat the Eagles, 20-14, handing a loss to the last undefeated team.

The Detroit win improved the Lions’ record to 5-1, leaving them tied with the 49ers (who lost to Cleveland 19-17), Eagles, Dolphins and Chiefs for the best record in the NFL. And former Cal star Goff has played a major role in the Lions’ surge.

On Sunday he was 30-for-44 for 353 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 107.5 passer rating, all of which was considerably better than the performance by Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield, who had no TD passes, one interception and a passer rating of 56.8.

Here is Goff’s first touchdown pass:

And here is the second TD pass:

Goff began the day ranked fifth in the NFL in passer rating and he might move up after Sunday’s performance.

Detroit’s only loss this season came against the Seahawks, when Goff directed the Lions to a game-tying field goal on final play of the fourth quarter but never got his hands on the ball in overtime as Seattle scored a touchdown on the first possession of the extra period.

The Lions own a two-game lead in the loss column in the NFC, and are in position to earn their first playoff berth since 2016 and possibly their first postseason victory since the 1991 season when Barry Sanders was the Lions’ star.

In New York, they are celebrating the Jets’ upset of Philadelphia, which improved the Jets’ record to 3-3. It suggests that maybe the Jets can get to the playoffs without Aaron Rodgers, who tore his Achilles tendon on New York’s first offensive series of the season. But is in possible he could return for the postseason if New York’s defense can carry it to the playoffs? It still seems unlikely, but seeing him on the field before Sunday’s game tossing the ball around at least creates a discussion.

How does he look to you?

One other note involving former Cal players: Vikings safety Camryn Bynum recorded nine tackles in Minnesota’s 19-13 win over the Bears. He began the game ranked seventh in the NFL in tackles, and was the only non-linebacker among the top 15 tacklers. Bynum has 60 tackles for the season, and should remain in the top 10 overall and No. 1 among non-linebackers.

Cover photo of Jared Goff by Nathan Ray Seebeck, USA TODAY Sports

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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