by Quarterback Jared Goff was happy with an “outrageous win” after the Detroit Lions beat the New York Jets 20-17 for their sixth win in seven games on Sunday.
The win pushed the Lions’ record to an unexpected 7-7 after starting the 1-6 season and is now even in the winning column with the Washington Commanders (7-5-1) and New York Giants (7-5-). 1) In the NFC Wild Card race.
Against the Jets, who were also down to 7-7 in their loss, the Lions scored the winning goal with less than two minutes left when Brock Wright found himself wide open for 51-yard catch-and-run.
Goff scored his 23rd goal of the season in the win for his best comeback since his 32nd in 2018, the sixth game in a row, and Goff had the second-best QBR of his career with 62.8. The figure is also just behind the 2018 grade of 63.6.
Speaking to the media after the game, Goff said the Lions had turned a corner and they now fully believe in their ability to win close games.
“A lot of these close games started to turn towards us rather than them,” he said. “And that hasn’t always been the case around here.
“We totally believe in each other, we just know that someone will play and do something right and that’s half the battle.
“Them [the Jets] really good – there’s a reason he’s one of the top five or six defenders in the league. They’re really good at creating pressure with just four guys, they’re really good at mixing news, they’re really aggressive. Both corners are really good, both safety are really good – it’s a good group.
“They challenged us for most of the game and we’re happy we were able to do that.”
He continued to talk about the outlook for the result, emphasizing that he was only interested in the final score.
“You’d rather win ugly than lose pretty,” he said. “There were times earlier in the year when we were winning pretty well in certain situations, and we finally let that get away from us.
“I think that’s totally where we are right now. We’ve won some games easily lately, but we’ve also won some close games and some away games where we had to withdraw.
“Things had to go the way we wanted – do we go the way we want or do we play? I’m into playing games… we’re starting to learn how to win and how to win consistently. That’s good, mature behavior.” team now.”
Head coach Dan Campbell made sure to draw attention to his efforts by pass runner Romeo Okwara, who finished with two sacks after returning from an Achilles tear last week.
“It means a lot that Romeo is back,” he said. “Just to be with us.
“He’s an incredible locker room guy, hardworking and also tall. He plays the run well and can rush the passer. He was better than he was last week… and I would have guessed it.” Even better next week.”
The Lions will have the chance to maintain their great form as they travel to meet the 5-9 Carolina Panthers next week.
