Jared Goff’s Ball Fake Was So Elite It Fooled a Defender Into Committing an Extremely Late Hit

Lions quarterback Jared Goff drew a penalty for his team after perfectly executing a ball fake that left a Seahawks defender completely fooled on Sunday.

After Goff handed the ball off to wide receiver Kalif Raymond, he dropped back to feign a pass as if he still had the football in his possession. The ball fake worked flawlessly on Seattle’s linebacker Darrell Taylor.

While Raymond ran up field with the ball, Taylor launched himself at Goff and recorded what he believed was an excellent sack. In reality, he’d committed one of the latest hits of the 2023 season thus far.

Taylor could be seen celebrating behind Goff after his illegal hit, not realizing at the time he was about to be flagged for a penalty, and that Detroit’s quarterback didn’t even have the ball. The refs didn’t even hesitate before throwing flags on the play. 

The recipient of a hard hit from the Seahawks’ linebacker, Goff certainly paid the price for his convincing fake, though he was happy to accept the free 15 yards.

The Lions lost in overtime, 37–31. Goff completed 28-of-35 pass attempts for 323 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.