Jared Goff has started in a Super Bowl, so Sunday's Super Wild Card Weekend showdown between the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams won't be the biggest game he's ever played in. It might, however, be the most meaningful game of his career up to this point.
Goff was traded from the Rams to the Lions a year after helping Los Angeles reach Super Bowl LIII. He didn't hide his feelings this week when asked if he has a chip on his shoulder stemming from that trade.
"Of course," Goff told ESPN. "I think it'll never leave me, and I think that's a good thing."
While it surely hurt at the time, the trade may have been the best thing that ever happened to Goff as far as his career is concerned. The 29-year-old has played an integral role in Detroit's two-year turnaround. He was named to the Pro Bowl last year after helping the Lions post a winning record.
Goff has been even better this season. He set a career high in completion percentage while throwing 30 touchdowns for the first time since 2018. His play was instrumental in the Lions capturing their first division title since 1991.
Goff's counterpart on Sunday is Lions' career passing leader Matthew Stafford, who was also part of that trade. On Sunday, Goff can do something Stafford never did in Detroit: Win a playoff game as the Lions' starting quarterback.
"I so badly want to win a playoff game for this city that hasn't had one in so long," Goff said. "We've got a home playoff game for the first time in so long and that's so much more important than anything personally for me. I want to be a part of this win and do my job to the best of my ability."
