Jared Goff: Lions’ pass protection vs. Bears was as good as I’ve ever played behind
Lions quarterback Jared Goff had one of the best games of his career on Sunday against the Bears, and he gives the Lions’ offensive line the bulk of the credit.
“I thought they played incredibly,” Goff said on 97.1 The Ticket. “I thought the pass protection was as good as I’ve ever played behind, and it’s only looking up for those guys. They’ve done a great job and it will take another good week of practice to try to do it again.”
Asked if he means in his entire NFL career he has never been protected better than he was on Sunday, Goff said that’s exactly what he means.
“For sure,” Goff said. “How many sacks? I think I got hit once, on a scramble. I mean, that’s pretty unheard of. They were incredible. They were great. They held up all day. And those guys aren’t a bad front over there. They got Grady Jarrett, they got Montez Sweat, they got dudes over there who have been in the league a long time and have gotten a ton of sacks. I thought they did a great job.”
Bears head coach Ben Johnson said pressuring Goff was the top priority for his defense. The Bears didn’t get that done, and the result was the Lions putting up 52 points on Sunday.
Pete Carroll Sends Strong Message on QB Geno Smith After 3-Interception Game
The Chargers defense flummoxed Geno Smith all night Monday.
Geno Smith’s gunslinging was on full display Monday night, which prompted his longtime head coach Pete Carroll to speak out about his quarterback’s inability to protect the ball.
Carroll criticized Smith’s ball-protection skills after the Las Vegas Raiders QB did not lead a touchdown drive and threw three interceptions in their 20-9 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night.
Smith was 24 for 43 (55.8 percent) for 180 yards, no touchdowns and the three picks in the Raiders’ home opener. He now leads the NFL in interceptions (4) and is tied for 22nd in completion percentage (62.3) through two weeks.
What Did Pete Carroll Say About Geno Smith’s Three-Interception Game?
Carroll has been steadfast in his love and loyalty toward Smith. But even he couldn’t defend the way his QB played.
According to Pro-Football Reference, Smith made nine bad throws on his 43 attempts Monday, a stat made worse by the fact he was only pressured just six times — fewer than the eight pressures the New England Patriots registered against him in the Raiders’ surprising Week 1 win.
“We always talk that way of taking what the defense gives you,” Carroll said Wednesday about Smith’s attempt to fit the ball into tight windows. “It’s when things get off rhythm sometimes, that’s when the quarterback needs to decide and always protect the football first.
“We need to do a better job in that, and Geno knows that and I know that. We didn’t get that done.”
It was Smith’s fifth-career three-INT game but just his second in the past 10 years — he also threw three picks against the Los Angeles Rams last year. Smith also said the film was “tough to watch” but saw ways he could improve from his mistakes
“[There were] a lot of things I wish I would have done better personally,” Smith said. “You can never just flush that, you’ve got to learn from it. I watched it over 10 times and just tried to figure out things I need to be better, which was a lot of things that were obvious: Being more accurate, taking what the defense gave me, not being so aggressive.”
What Did Geno Smith Say About Being Aggressive?
That Smith made that many bad throws Monday night was newsworthy, since his 12.4 percent career bad-throw shows he has been one of the best at limiting unforced errors over his career. He’s done that by taking an honest appraisal of his efforts.
“Being hard on yourself and understanding that’s not the standard, and it’s never going to be the standard,” Smith said of how he’s been great at not letting bad games snowball. “Really having to be honest with myself and not letting that carry over.”
So after making just three bad throws, and capitalizing on chunk play after chunk play in the Raiders’ 20-13 win in New England, Smith may have been feeling himself a bit too much. The Chargers brought him back to earth.
“I think we might’ve overdid it a little bit. We had a lot of explosives in Week 1, and obviously we wanted to carry that over,” Smith said. “Being efficient is the No. 1 thing, and I thought the efficiency wasn’t there, and that would have led to more explosives if we were more efficient.
“Take what they give me. It’s that simple.”
The Raiders will be on the road against the Washington Commanders, who just allowed 404 yards to the Green Bay Packers in their Week 2 loss at Lambeau Field.
But despite the shorter week after the late kickoff Monday, Smith said he is chomping at the bit to get on the field against Washington.
“I think the shorter week actually helps you,” Smith said. “The faster we can get to the game, the faster we can get that bad taste out your mouth.”
