The Detroit Lions came away with a statement win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, September 22, notching a 20-13 victory on the road. It was a relief for fans who were worried after seeing the Lions fall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2. In a postgame press conference, quarterback Jared Goff said the game went down how the Lions envisioned it, starting with the very first drive.
The Lions Have the ‘Ability to Adapt,’ Quarterback Jared Goff Says
“It’s what we wanted to do,” Goff said during the press conference. “We wanted to come out here and try to apply pressure and come out and start with the ball and score a touchdown, and we we did exactly that.”
When it comes to the Lions’ success in this game, Goff summed it up in one word: “resiliency.”
“It’s the ability to adapt, too,” he added, “and play different types of games and win in different ways, and that was always our way last year, as well. I know the way that Dan wants to be is multiple and have the ability to win it through the air and on the ground and by our defense. Today was kind of a combination of all that.”
Goff was a perfect 12-for-12 passing for 137 yards and two touchdowns in the first half of the matchup. Although the offense couldn’t keep that perfect record in the second half, the Cardinals weren’t able to come back. On defense, Aidan Hutchinson notched another sack, making his season total to 6 1/2 over three games.
“The first half was kind of as good as we can draw it up,” Goff said. He added, “In the second half, we just kind of kept stumbling over our own feet. I had a turnover, we make some mistakes in different areas, and we couldn’t get anything going until that last drive, when we needed it most.”
One of the highlights from the game was when Detroit went 20-7 going into halftime thanks to an impressive hook-and-ladder play. Goff threw short to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who sent it to Jahmyr Gibbs, who ran 20 yards for the touchdown.
“We’ve been working on that one for a while,” Goff said regarding the play. “I thought that was a good spot to call it.”
The Lions Were Ready for a ‘Grimy, Gritty’ Game, Dan Campbell Says
In the same postgame press conference, head coach Dan Campbell spoke about the Lions’ ability to get the job done on the field, no matter how much grit it takes.
“Ultimately, we knew, and our guys knew, that this was gonna be one of those grimy, gritty, un-glorious type of jobs that were gonna… need to be done on the O-line, D-line, receivers, DBs, everywhere, man,” Campbell said. “And that’s exactly the game that was.”
“That’s what makes you feel pretty good — I feel like we can play different types of games,” Campbell said. “We can do whatever we need to with special teams, defense and offense. We’ve just got to find a way to win every week. They can be different every time.”
