Lions Get Bad News After Jared Goff’s Career Worst Game
The Detroit Lions have been a resilient team all season, but their latest loss may have sunk any hopes of repeating last season’s finish — and this time, a career-worst game from quarterback Jared Goff is to blame.
The Lions came into Sunday night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles with a chance to climb into contention in the NFC North. But the offense struggled to get going in a 16-9 loss, one where Goff had the lowest completion percentage of his career and head coach Dan Campbell’s aggressive fourth-down calls blew up on the Lions.
The loss leaves the Lions in a big deficit in the NFC North and likely ended their hopes of repeating as the No. 1 overall seed in the conference.
Lions Must Regroup Once Again
The Lions did well to rebound from each of their first three losses this season, winning after each one and keeping alive their three-year streak of no back-to-back losses. But the loss to the Eagles on Sunday handed the Lions their fourth loss of the season and put them two games behind Philadelphia for the top spot in the conference.
The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy noted that Sunday’s loss will likely make it impossible for the Lions to finish atop the NFC like they did in 2024.
“The Lions are 6-4, third in the NFC North and on the outside looking in for the playoff race,” Pouncy wrote. “This is not where they were expected to be after 11 weeks. They just lost a measuring-stick game against a contender in their conference, and any lingering hope of securing a first-round bye is just about lost after this outing.”
Pouncy noted that the Lions still have time to get back in the hunt for the division crown, facing the hapless New York Giants next week followed by a rematch with the Green Bay Packers. But Pouncy suggested that the Lions look nothing like the dominant team that won the division in 2023 and 2024.
“You never quite know what to expect from this group on a week-to-week basis — something you haven’t been able to say about them since they turned the corner in 2023,” Pouncy wrote.
Jared Goff Looked Lost Against Eagles
Goff’s performance was one of the biggest factors in Sunday’s loss. The veteran quarterback struggled against the aggressive defense, completing a career-worst 37.8% of his passes, going 14-for-37.
Goff took two sacks and had several passes batted down, often leaving the Lions with long third downs. The Lions rarely converted from there, going 3-for-12 on third downs and 0-for-5 on fourth-down attempts.
The Lions suffered from some costly miscues outside of Goff’s poor performance. After wide receiver Jameson Williams caught a 40-yard touchdown tie the game at 6-all late in the first half, the receiver celebrated by jumping onto the goal post upright and drew a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The Lions went on to miss the long extra point, losing out on a chance to take the lead.
Campbell also drew criticism for his repeated fourth-down calls, which were falling flat in the face of an aggressive Eagles defense.
Aaron Rodgers’ Wrist Injury Could Stifle Pittsburgh Steelers’ Playoff Hopes
The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to fend off the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11 despite losing quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a wrist injury.
Sunday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the initial fear from one source is that Rodgers suffered “a slight break” in his wrist. Rodgers will undergo further testing on Monday to determine the full extent of the injury and how much time will be missed.
Schefter elaborated that it’s shaping up to be backup quarterback Mason Rudolph against the Chicago Bears next week.
Rudolph was 12-of-16 passing for 127 yards and one touchdown in relief of Rodgers. He was able to seal the 34-12 victory against the Bengals and send the Steelers to 6-4.
The Cleveland Browns didn’t do the Steelers any favors when they collapsed against the Baltimore Ravens. But with a 6-4 record, the Steelers are still on top of the 5-5 Ravens and in sole possession of first place in the AFC North.
But if Rodgers is forced to miss significant time, playoff hopes in Pittsburgh could be all but over.
This offseason, the Steelers signed the 41-year-old hoping to upgrade from Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, who both departed in free agency. While Rodgers took his time committing to Pittsburgh formally, the Steelers brought back Rudolph who flamed out in his lone season with the Tennessee Titans. They also drafted Ohio State quarterback Will Howard on Day 3.
Without Rodgers, this Steelers squad barely has a chance. Even though Rudolph is in his sixth season of serving a backup role, he’s been wildly inconsistent when given significant action. The Titans were starving for a solution at quarterback when they turned to him, and he threw nine touchdown passes to nine interceptions.
More importantly, this Steelers offense leaves a ton to be desired.
Running back Jaylen Warren somehow isn’t used enough on a weekly basis. DK Metcalf was a big offseason acquisition who has been inconsistent. But outside of Metcalf? Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson are Pittsburgh’s other pass catching options.
The Steelers have the luxury of playing in a dreadful AFC North, but the Ravens are coming. Lamar Jackson was horrible in Week 11’s win against the Browns, but the Ravens still mustered an impressive win against an elite defense. They’ve won four straight games.
While Rudolph put together a respectable stat line in replacement of Rodgers, everybody knows how bad Cincinnati's defense has been.
The Bears are 7-3 and host the Steelers on Sunday. After that, the Steelers host the Buffalo Bills before traveling to Baltimore. Things are getting serious in Pittsburgh, and they could be without their starting quarterback.
