Of all the big plays in the Lions' win over the Chiefs last week, you might not remember the one that stands out to Jared Goff. Asked about the play he was proudest of, Goff said Wednesday on 97.1 The Ticket, "There was a throw to LaPorta to my left for 16, 17 yards."
The Lions were facing 2nd and 11 from the Chiefs' 41 in the second quarter when Kansas City came on a blitz. The protection held up just long enough thanks to blocks by David Montgomery and Jonah Jackson, and Goff bought himself a little more time by fading to his left. Backpedaling, he zipped a pass to rookie tight end Sam LaPorta on a shallow crosser for a catch-and-run gain of 14 yards.
"They made us hot on a blitz when we didn’t have enough to protect it and I was able to drift left away from the pressure. And if you watch it, Jonah did a crazy hell of a job by a guard to pop back and block that last rusher, and was able to slide left and get it to Sam.
"That’s an explosive play for us on something that isn't always that way. Was proud of the way I executed and how the whole offense executed that play, being able to make a ho-hum first- or second-down play into a big gain for us."
The catch was the first of five on the night for LaPorta, who finished with 39 receiving yards and a few key blocks in the run game. The second-round pick has been one of Goff's favorite targets since he emerged as Detroit's starting tight end early in training camp.
"We trust him, I really trust him," said Goff. "He’s done a great job since he got drafted of learning the offense and becoming trustworthy, becoming reliable, doing the right thing over and over again."
LaPorta was far from the only rookie who contributed to the Lions' 21-20 win over the defending champs. On offense, Jahmyr Gibbs also turned nine touches into 60 yards.
"They did not flinch at all," said Goff. "It wasn't like it was a first game for them or first-game jitters. They were ready to go and did a great job stepping up for us when we needed them."
Detroit's vaunted offense wasn't great last week, but it did enough. It expects to be much better Sunday at home against the Seahawks, with the benefit of being able to verbally communicate at the line of scrimmage. The Lions also want to play with more tempo, a hallmark of last year's offense that finished fourth in the NFL.
"Some of the operational stuff I didn’t think was our best, and a lot of that comes back to me just getting in and out of the huddle," said Goff.
Coming off a statement win, the Lions will have plenty of motivation to keep it going against the Seahawks.
"We owe them one," said Goff. "I know they’ll be motivated because they’re 0-1 and we’ll be motivated as well. We’re playing a team that’s taken care of us the last two years and we need to go do our thing."