On a night Quintez Cephus caught four passes, including one for 46 yards and another for a touchdown, it was a pair he failed to catch that spoke to his potential in the Lions' offense.
"A guy we're starting to trust more and more," said Jared Goff after Detroit's Monday night loss to the Packers.
With the Lions facing third and 9 from Green Bay's 24-yard line in the waning seconds of the first half, Goff lofted a ball down the left sideline and nearly watched Cephus make a one-handed touchdown catch reminiscent of Odell Beckham Jr.
Cephus' ability to go up and get it, honed by years of playing basketball, is what convinced the former regime to take him in the fifth round of last year's draft. He would have been all over SportsCenter this week (and for the rest of this year) had he gone up and got this one:
"As a QB, you want somebody you can trust and somebody who’s going to fight for the ball when it’s in the air, and you see that out of him pretty consistently," Goff said Tuesday on 97.1 The Ticket. "That ball at the end of the half that he almost came down with is a reason that I like him on the field, and I know we like a lot of the stuff he’s doing, too."
So much so that Goff went back to Cephus with the Lions facing 4th and 1 from Green Bay's 25 early in the second half, this time on a comeback to Goff's left. The route was well covered, the pass was a bit low and Cephus couldn't come up with it, but Goff never hesitated to look his way.
"I liked the matchup with Cephus," he said. "We just didn’t hit it."
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In a receivers room desperate for more playmakers, Cephus is starting to stand out. He finished Monday's game with four receptions on seven targets for 63 yards and a touchdown, his third straight game with a touchdown dating back to last season. His 46-yarder on Detroit's first drive came after some improvising with Goff, a reflection of the growing rapport between receiver and quarterback.
"He’s strong, he’s physical and he’s been pretty reliable for us right now," said Goff.
Detroit's passing attack is ... unconventional. Tight end T.J. Hockenson and running back D'Andre Swift, in that order, lead the team in targets, receptions and yards through through two games. Barring injury, that's likely to remain the case for the rest of the season. Cephus leads Detroit's wideouts in the same three categories. That might not change either.
The Lions' No. 1 receiver was supposed to be Tyrell Williams. It still could be. But Williams is out with a concussion and it's unclear when he'll return. In the meantime, the 23-year-old Cephus has a chance to cement himself in Detroit's passing game -- and perhaps in the club's future.