Jared Goff’s marvelous string of passes without throwing an interception came to an abrupt end on Sunday. With the Lions trailing 24-21 in the third quarter to visiting Seattle, Goff fired a pass behind rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs.
Seahawks DB Tre Brown picked it off and ran it back for a critical touchdown, one that played a huge role in Seattle’s 37-31 overtime win.
After the game, Goff and Lions head coach Dan Campbell offered up different causes for the costly miscue.
Campbell pointed his finger at Gibbs, at least partially. It sounded like Campbell intended it as more of a coaching exoneration of Goff,
“Yeah, I need to look at it again, but to me that was more on the route than it was Goff,” Campbell told reporters. “This is why we work them over and over. You’ve got to be decisive. You can’t do that to your Q. But I’ll know more tomorrow, I need to watch it in real time.”
Goff pointed the finger right back at himself. He did note the pressure he was under from the Seahawks defense, but Goff did own the mistake.
“I thought he ran a fine route,” Goff said after the game. “I was getting hit or was about to get hit and threw it before he broke. The guy (Seahawks CB Tre Brown) made a good catch. Sometimes, it doesn’t go your way. I would’ve liked to throw it a little more inside and be able to give him a chance to catch it, and I didn’t.”
Goff was being pressured from the right side of the offense on the play and was hit almost immediately after throwing the ball to his left.
No matter who is to blame, the pick-six ended Goff’s team record for most pass attempts without an interception at 383. It’s the third-longest streak in NFL history. Unfortunately it ended at a very inopportune time.