Everything Jared Goff Said Before Lions Week 1 Contest Against Saints

Here is everything quarterback Jared Goff told local Detroit Lions reporters, ahead of their Week 1 contest at home against the New Orleans Saints.

His excitement to kick off the 2026 NFL season and get out on the field.

"Yeah, it feels good to have someone against - except our own guys to go against. Yeah, we're excited, man. A good opponent coming in and we're able to get some good looks today and good feel for it. Yeah, it's been good.”

What is the X-factor that gives him the most optimism about 2026 season?

“I think we say it all the time, Dan (Campbell) says it all the time, everyone in this building is made of the right stuff. Brad (Holmes) and Dan don't bring in people that aren't and it multiplies and exudes and you can feel it through everybody and the leadership kind of brings it on down from Dan. Yeah, we're made of the right stuff.”

What ‘the right stuff’ is?

"Grit, right? I mean that's the easiest way to put it, but what is grit, right? That's the big question and I think it's perseverance and hard work and doing a little bit more and pushing a little bit harder. Yeah, we’ve got to go out and prove it, but we feel like we're in a good place.”

Early thoughts about facing the New Orleans Saints.

“Yeah, I think they finished the year incredibly strong and got a little momentum going into their offseason. (Saints defensive coordinator) Coach (Brandon) Staley's on defense there. I’ve got a lot of experience with him, both with him and then playing against him. A lot of respect for him and how he coaches his defense. So we'll have our hands full and get to work.”

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What makes him believe this team will be better this year than in 2025.

"We've done a lot of work in the offseason to improve and get better and add pieces. Drew (Petzing)'s been awesome and the stuff that we've added with him, I know (Lions Defensive Coordinator Kelvin Sheppard) Shepp has added some wrinkles himself. So yeah, we've improved ourselves and tried to get better.”

Does the bad results from 2025 fuel the team even more this season?

"I think so. I think it adds a little bit of a chip on your shoulder, but I think we're pretty internally motivated and want to win a championship and want to be the last team standing. And I think last year is a bad taste, but we’ve got however many chances in front of us now to go make a right.”

How does Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing bring the best out of him?

"I mean the standard and accountability aspect first of how the standard and way he holds not only me, but our best guys to the highest standard. And I think that's kind of where it starts. And then his ability to listen and hear what I think, what I want, what I don't like, (Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint, what he likes, doesn't like. (Jameson Williams) Jamo, down the list. Jahmyr (Gibbs), all of them, (Sam) LaPorta.

"And then find a way to weave all that into a play, into a gameplan, into how we want to do things and how we want to approach a game. It's not easy, it's really not. To have the ability, the mental dexterity of all of that to do it is hard and he's done a good job. I don't know if that answers your question.”

How has Penei Sewell adjusted to playing left tackle?

“I think we take it for extreme granted that he was able to go over there and nothing really changed. I think he loves it. Left is the premier position in football and I think he loves that pressure and loves being the guy at the point of attack in a lot of ways. But yeah, I mean from whenever we did it in April to now, I don't feel like anything's fallen off from the right side. If anything, he's only gotten better in this offseason. Yeah, we take it for granted, but we're lucky to have him.”

What improvements have you noticed along the offensive line since the spring?

“Yeah, certainly in the last week of training camp, you really felt it coming together with Juice (Scruggs), leading the show there. I know there's still some things going on at left guard, but (Tate (Ratledge), Blake (Miller) and Penei have been as steady as anything. And then the guys who are competing at left guard have been great too.

"So, it's still a work in progress as far as the gelling comes, but the last week of training camp was really good and I though the stuff they put on tape in the preseason was really good.”

How involved are you in the chemistry of the offensive line?

“I don't know if I'm involved in the chemistry of them. I think I'm involved in making sure that I'm making things as easy as possible on them. Certainly if there are rotations happening throughout the week and throughout training camp, how can I make sure that it's seamless communication no matter who's in there? That's probably my best way to help them.”

What are some hallmarks of Brandon Staley’s defense that he has brought with him to New Orleans?

“Very sound. Good communicators. Everything looks the same, but it's different. Play hard. Yeah, they're tough, I mean all that. They were good in LA and certainly they were good when I was with him in LA and then with the Chargers and they're good again there.”

How has he grown with new Lions OL Juice Scruggs?

“It's always a growing thing. I think that last week of training camp really came together with him and I and it's just reps dude. It's just like anything else like throwing to a receiver, it's the same way. He's got to feel comfortable with my cadence and my rhythm and I've got to feel comfortable with his rhythm of making the calls and all of that and it's been good.”

Does the team feel like they have to re-prove themselves entering this season?

“No, I think whatever we were was so long ago. I think we want to prove who we are now. I think also last year was last year. There are a lot of guys on this team that weren't here last year. So what do they have? It doesn't mean anything to them. But for the guys that were, yeah certainly, there's some pride involved in not wanting to do anything close to that. I think the last place in your division still stings and so finding a way to not allow that to happen.”

Does the team sense they are flying under the radar and is that motivating?

"I don’t think I sense that, no. If it’s happening, great. We’ll see how it all shakes out.”

On how the team will be able to maintain a high level of performance week-to-week?

“Well, I've got however many regular season games, 17 games to prove it. And this starts this week with trying to stay consistent and execute the way we want to. And again, I think the references to last year, I'm going to stop answering them at some point. It's not who we are anymore. This team's different and we're excited. We had a whole OTAs to talk about that. We had all of training camp. Now we're in Week 1 and we're excited to play the Saints.”

Does the competition at starting left guard change how he prepares throughout the week?

"I think those guys that are competing for that will be ready, whoever it may be. How does it change anything for me? Not really. Making sure I'm on the same page with both of them and making sure that they feel comfortable with everything, that would be the only thing. But they'll be ready and whatever the coaches decide to do will be ready.”

What is the difficulty of preparing Week 1 without having a lot of film on the opposing team?

"It is hard, because yeah, you're watching stuff that they've done, but you don't know what they've changed. They'll have wrinkles and things that we can't account for and we'll have the same stuff. So, there is that little internal chess match going on that I'm sure they're doing today and we're working on and we'll both roll it out Sunday and see which one's better. But, I know they'll have some stuff for us that hasn't been shown on tape and it's our job to adjust to it.”

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