Jared Goff stood in front of reporters after the Lions' 16-9 loss to the Eagles, brim of his hat pulled low over his brow, and lamented how poorly the offense performed on a night the "defense was incredible."
"It feels horrible," said Goff. "It's the worst. Our defense plays well and you feel like you let them down, I know I certainly do. It sucks."
Goff connected on just 14 of 37 passes for the worst completion percentage (37.8) of his 10-year career, after entering the game with the best percentage in the NFL this season. Under constant pressure from the Eagles' front seven, especially up the middle, Goff just never got into a rhythm. He was 2-for-12 on third and fourth down, where Detroit's offense went 3-for-18.
"You give a ton of credit to them," said Goff. "They’re a good-ass defense. You'd like to think if we were able to get a fourth down or two it changes the game, even some of those third downs, but they played well and we weren’t even close to up to snuff today offensively."
When the Lions wanted to get the ball out quick, Philadelphia's defensive linemen were even quicker to get their hands up. Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter combined for 5 batted-down passes. And on longer drop-backs, the Eagles were able to "get their pass rush going," said Goff.
In a measuring-stick game, the Lions' defense measured up, holding Philly to under four yards per play and Saquon Barkley to 3.2 yards per carry. They stymied the tush push and stopped the Eagles on 12 of 16 third or fourth downs. But the Lions' offense fell woefully short. The loss dropped them to third in the NFC North and out of the playoff picture with seven games to go.
"But dude, we’re 6-4, we’re right in the middle of the season, got three home games coming up, got a lot to look forward to, got a lot of football ahead of us. Everything’s in front of us," said Goff. "We've got a good veteran unit, we will respond the right way. Yeah, it sucks, it stings. You want to come out here and play well and beat a really good team and be able to have a hallmark win in the middle of the season. But didn’t get it done and gotta move on and find a way to get it done next week."
The schedule does lighten for the Lions from here on out, starting Sunday at home against the last-place Giants. The 8-2 Rams are their biggest obstacle remaining, but Detroit figures to be favored in every other game the rest of the way. The Lions' first of goal of winning the division is still very much in their grasp.
A big game against the Packers looms on Thanksgiving, not to mention the season finale in Chicago against the first-place Bears that could have major stakes. But first things first for the Lions, who need to get back on track by beating the Giants and re-establishing the offensive flow they found in their Week 10 win over another NFC East pushover in the Commanders.
The Lions went into Philadelphia with one of the top fourth-down conversion rates in the NFL at 72.2 percent. Their 0-for-5 dropped them into the middle of the pack. Dan Campbell, who didn't adjust his approach against a dominant defense until it was too late, admitted in hindsight that more "conservative" decision-making would have given the Lions a better chance in a low-scoring game where points were at a premium.
But, Campbell added, "that’s who we are, that’s who I am, and it bit us today." Indeed, the Lions have ranked among the NFL's top five teams in fourth down attempts in each of Campbell's five season at the helm. They're tied for third this year, but their offensive line isn't the force that it once was.
Asked if the Lions should have dialed back the aggressiveness and played more of a field-position game, Goff echoed his head coach and said that "when it doesn't work it's going to get questioned by you guys, and when it works it's going to get praised by you guys. And it didn't work today, so I understand the question."
"But part of me says, like, once you commit to it, you gotta keep doing it -- because at some point you’re going to convert them," said Goff. "Tonight wasn’t our night on fourth down and it sucks. But how many did we have? Convert two or three of those, it’s a whole different ballgame."