Goff: Lions 'Don’t Ride the Roller Coaster'
The Detroit Lions aren't reeling, despite a tough loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 12.
As disappointing as the loss was on a national stage, the Lions still remain in first place in the NFC North with an 8-3 record. The biggest stretch of the season awaits as the calendar turns to December.
Starting Sunday, the Lions will have six games remaining, as they push to win their first division title since 1993. Quarterback Jared Goff, who is one of the veterans familiar with a playoff chase, detailed the team's mindset as it gears up for the pivotal stretch.
"This is it, this is the homestretch. We've got six left, starts with New Orleans, and we've got to focus on that one," Goff explained to 97.1 The Ticket Tuesday. "We've got to be present and make sure we're ready to go for this game. But, yeah, this is the final push for us. It's not doom and gloom at all. We don't ride the roller coaster that the outside world tends to ride. We know where we're at, we know what we have in front of us and we're excited to go to New Orleans and play well."
Goff has struggled as of late, committing six turnovers combined in his last two games. As he looks to bounce back, self-evaluation and subsequent improvement are vital to returning to a high level of performance.
"It changes every week, you're always looking at little things. I think as the season goes on, you try to find little ways that you can improve, with the limited time you have on the field," Goff said. "There's always things that I can do, it changes, though, throughout the year. You look at the game and, okay, for me personally, how do I tuck the ball away and not get stripped when I'm scrambling like I was? That will be a point of emphasis for me this week. Maybe there's some things in my drop that I'd like to improve that tend to slip as the season goes on, because you don't have as much time to work on it. But, every week, you watch the film and you see some things and I try to give myself somewhat of an action plan to get better and improve for the following week."
Preparing for New Orleans
The Lions will travel to the Caesar's Superdome Sunday for a showdown with the Saints, in a venue notorious for being difficult for opponents to play in.
Goff has experience playing in the building, having won the 2018 NFC hampionship Game there while he was a member of the Los Angeles Rams.
He isn't the only Lion who participated in that game. In fact, head coach Dan Campbell, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and linebacker Alex Anzalone were all on the other sideline.
"It was the loudest game I've ever experienced," Goff said. "Dan was there, and Anzalone was there. We talk about it sometimes, how loud that was. Loudest game I've ever been a part of. Always loud there, always fun, always a good atmosphere and it'll be fun."
