darnews
DETROIT (AP) — Jared Goff, the Detroit Lions' quarterback, expressed a desire for his team to be playing this week rather than resting during their bye. The sentiment comes after Detroit delivered its most impressive performance of the season, a 45-21 road triumph over the Arizona Cardinals.
"Wish we could play tomorrow after a game like that," Goff remarked following the win. The Lions (3-2) began their campaign with a 31-30 overtime victory over the New Orleans Saints at home, and have since alternated losses and wins. Their season has been a rollercoaster: a blowout loss at Buffalo, a narrow win over the New York Jets, a disappointing defeat at Carolina, and then a resounding bounce-back against Arizona, where the defense suddenly shed its reputation as the league's worst.
"It is a complementary football game and you could certainly feel it," Goff said. "They were playing with energy and swagger and then we were feeding off that, getting short fields, scoring and then they would multiply that."
As Week 6 approaches, the Lions are one of three teams in the NFC North with a 3-2 record, joined by the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. The Minnesota Vikings, meanwhile, sit atop the division at 5-0 and are on a bye this week. Detroit will now gauge its divisional mettle with upcoming home games against the Packers on October 25 and the Vikings on November 1. They also host the Bears on Thanksgiving, and later face a crucial stretch: at Minnesota in Week 15, then closing the regular season at Chicago and Green Bay.
Detroit's Offense Among NFL's Elite
The Lions and Buffalo Bills are tied for the league lead in scoring, averaging 32.8 points per game. Detroit has achieved a historic first: they are the only team in NFL history to have a quarterback (Goff) with at least 1,400 passing yards and 12 passing touchdowns, and a running back (Jahmyr Gibbs) with 500-plus rushing yards and seven rushing scores through the first five games of a season.
Gibbs is also the fourth player in league annals—and the first since Christian McCaffrey in 2019—to record 500-plus rushing yards and at least 240 receiving yards in the first five games. The three-time Pro Bowler has scored the most touchdowns (57) by any NFL player before turning 25, and he has his sights set on LaDainian Tomlinson's single-season record of 31 touchdowns. "I'm trying to get that," Gibbs said.
Goff has thrown 12 touchdown passes without an interception through five games, joining Russell Wilson (2019) as the only quarterbacks to accomplish that feat. Receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, along with tight end Sam LaPorta, provide Goff with ample targets when defenses focus on stopping Gibbs.
Defensive Struggles Persist Despite Pressure
Detroit's defense ranks among the league's worst, allowing a league-high 404.4 yards per game and the third-most points per game (29.6). Fifth-year defensive back Roger McCreary is aware of the criticism. "That's the part of business," said McCreary, who defended six passes at Arizona, the most by a Lions player in a game since Bryant Westbrook in 2000. "If you not playing good, critics going to say something."
However, the Lions have generated pressure on quarterbacks, recording 20 sacks—their most through five games in franchise history—and have four players with at least three sacks for the first time at this stage of a season.
Injury Updates Could Provide Boost
The bye week may help Detroit get healthier on both sides of the ball. Safety Brian Branch and veteran center Cade Mays are nearing returns from injuries. Branch tore his left Achilles tendon late last season against Dallas and was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2024. Mays has been sidelined for two months with a wrist injury; he was a key offseason acquisition, signing a three-year deal to fill the void left by Frank Ragnow's retirement entering the 2025 season.
While Goff might have preferred to keep playing, head coach Dan Campbell believes the timing of the bye is ideal to give Branch and Mays extra time to be cleared. "We got the opportunity to get a couple of guys back potentially here, so that extra week early right now buys us that," Campbell said. "So, I think it's good. Yeah, after you feel like you play your best game, there is part of you that's like, 'Boy, it'd be nice to keep going.' But, I think this is a good thing. I think it's good that it's happening now. We can kind of get some guys back, get rested up and be ready to go after that."
_ See AP's full NFL coverage here.
Originally reported by darnews.