Jared Goff says he is in his prime ahead of a huge Week 18 matchup.
The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings play for the NFC North title and one seed on Sunday night. They both have 14 wins and one will hit the road on Wild Card Weekend with a 14-3 record. Jared Goff has been the answer at quarterback for the Lions, even when no one expected him to be. He spoke with the media about entering his prime ahead of the massive matchup.
“I’m in Year 9 right now and I think I said last year and the year before, I’m kind of entering my prime then, I’m probably right in my prime now and feeling pretty good and hope my prime lasts quite some time,” Goff said per Eric Woodyard of ESPN.
The Lions quarterback complimented himself shortly after lauding his entire offense. He has good reason to compliment his offensive line, wide receivers, and running backs. Goff is surrounded by an incredible cast who got the team to the NFC Championship Game last season. Now, they have a NFC North Championship Game that they hope ends better than last year.
When Goff was traded to the Lions, he was seen as the necessary move to fit Matthew Stafford in under the Rams salary cap. Instead, he has a chance to clinch the one seed.
Can Jared Goff clinch the NFC North for the Lions?
The Lions went to San Francisco to face the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game last season. At halftime, they led 24-7. The 49ers scored 27 unanswered points to clinch their spot in the Super Bowl, which they lost. The Lions have dominated the regular season since that game but have another important game to bury those demons.
Dan Campbell is nothing if not adventurous. The first-time head coach has made his name on going for fourth down and two-point conversions in his four years with the Lions. He went for fourth down twice in the NFC title game while in field goal range and missed it both times.
Now, the Vikings are coming to town looking to spoil the Lions' epic regular season. Despite being picked to finish last in the NFC North, they are challenging for first. There is no doubt that Jared Goff is in his prime. He is much better than the second-year quarterback who led the Rams to the Super Bowl. But he has to show it in the biggest regular-season game of his career.
The Lions and Vikings play on Sunday Night Football at 8:20 on NBC.
