Taylor Decker offers the best comparison yet for Jared Goff's toughness
There isn't much that hasn't been said about Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff since he has come to the Motor City and helped a long struggling franchise start to play winning football again.
Goff has been the catalyst for the Lions in the pocket. His calm leadership and belief has translated Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes' vision for their team on the field. But none of that would be possible without toughness.
In 2021, Detroit's offenive line wasn't the unit it has become recently. In spite of that, Goff stayed upright. Since, there's been periodic injuries to key players up front. It hasn't mattered, as Goff has remained a constant in the pocket. Not even young players taking over up front in 2025 has been enough to faze Goff.
Taylor Decker thinks he knows why, and it all boils down to aforementioned toughness. When talking about his quarterback, Decker dropped wisdom on why Goff is such a great leader. According to him, it's traits that mirror fictional hitman John Wick, a regular guy until he's pushed to the brink.
"People don't talk enough about Jared (Goff) being tough. I was thinking about this the other day. He's got John Wick to him where he's super nice, but 'Oh, you shot my dog?' Then he goes out there and he's the ultimate competitor. If you didn't shoot his dog, you wouldn't know how tough he is. You can't say enough good things about him."
As Decker knows, it's more than just physical traits that define his quarterback. Goff is the whole package in the pocket, which helps him to excel every step of the way.
"We got a superstar quarterback who can do everything, make every throw, knows the whole playbook, knows the defenses, prepares incredibly. He's not afraid to take a hit. We don't want him to get hit, but if he has to, he's not afraid. He doesn't take big hits though that much."
If Goff does take a hit, chances are he can absorb it thanks to his toughness. As Decker understands, that will be something that continues to work wonders for him through this season and beyond.
Decker frustrated to be battling through injury issue early this season
While Goff has found a way to avoid hits this season and by default injuries, the same cannot be said for teammates. The Lions defense is now down superstar cornerback D.J. Reed in addition to Marcus Davenport, and the team has been lucky to avoid a more significant injury bug early on.
Decker himself is battling injury this season, and while it hasn't been enough to keep him off the field, it has impacted his game. As he explained, while he believes he has played well to lead a resurgent offensive line, he could be playing even better without injury.
"I do think I'm playing well, but the frustrating thing for me is, I think I could play better if I felt better. So that's the thing. I think the performances have been pretty good, but the frustrating thing is, I have my own personal standards. When you're not at 100%, it's hard to meet those (standards). But that's why you go out there and you do what you do best you can for the team. I feel like if I'm out there, I can give them a chance to win."
Detroit's offensive line has played a leading effort in the team's 3-1 start, but as Decker's commentary shows, there is always room for constructive criticism. He doesn't believe that he is doing as well as he can thanks to his body being beaten up early this season.
In spite of that, at least Decker knows he can depend on having John Wick in the pocket behind him. If that isn't reason to be comfortable, not much else is.
Broncos CB Riley Moss Breaks Silence on Refs’ Excessive Flags
Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss has been penalized 11 times this season for 178 yards. In the Broncos' 22-19 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, Moss was dinged three times, twice on pass interference penalties (totaling 87 yards) and once on defensive holding, which wiped a Jahdae Barron pick-six off the board.
"Listen, I will absolutely own up to the last one, the underthrown ball. I can’t be grabbing him like that," Moss said post-game. "It’s tough. It’s already a tough position, and I have to be able to, in those situations, play the ball."
Moss' two pass interference penalties led to Chiefs' points — a field goal and a Travis Kelce touchdown. Considering that his defensive holding foul erased a touchdown, Moss cost the Broncos 16 points in a tightly contested, crucial divisional game that went down to the wire.
After the game, Moss acknowledged the troubling pattern and expressed a resolve to finally tackle it. The Broncos' Week 12 bye affords him the opportunity to do just that.
“In practice, it’s going to be a big emphasis. We are going to put the boxing gloves on me, we’re going to tape them up. So there’s no chance," Moss said. "It’s a repetitive thing. People can have their opinion on it, but me, as a professional athlete, I need to be able to realize that, 'Okay, this has happened multiple times.'"
Moss Penalties Become Part of Opponents' Game Plan
Now, has Moss been unfairly targeted by the refs? The optics say yes, so much so that the Chiefs included it in their game plan against the Broncos.
After all, Moss has been targeted 69 times this season (most in the NFL). With 11 penalties, that means the flags fall on 15.9% of targets thrown his way.
The Chiefs recognized that and they won't be the last. Just chuck a few balls deep with Moss in coverage and watch the yellow laundry fall.
Surtain's Defense of Moss
Patrick Surtain II, who's missed the past three games with a pectoral strain, went to bat for Moss a couple of weeks back on his podcast, jokingly saying that the refs are targeting his cornerback partner due to racial profiling (because he's white). Many a truths are said in jest.
"Riley [is] balling, bro. I ain't going to lie. I think they're racial profiling my dog, though, man," Surtain said with a smile on his Closed On Sundays podcast with co-host Terrion Arnold. "They're calling all these flags on my boy, man. I ain't going to lie; the flags is egregious."
Surtain's comment was tongue-in-cheek, but his point about the refs having it out for Moss was the truthful component. However, Surtain's words seemed to have resonated with NFL officials, as Moss went two straight games without drawing a single penalty.
But those chickens came home to roost in a big bad way vs. the Chiefs. The Broncos are fortunate they were able to survive the yardage and points that Moss' penalties cost them.
"Yes, it’s unfair sometimes, and it sucks. But I can’t be in that position as much as I have been," Moss said. "So that is something to work on. Again, everyone has their opinion, but as a competitor and as an athlete, I have to own up to some of it and get better from it.”
A Very Good CB
Moss is one of the NFL's best No. 2 cornerbacks. With very few exceptions, he'd probably be the No. 1 cornerback for most teams. And while Surtain has been out, Moss has been Denver's No. 1, doing some heavy lifting in the secondary.
Moss has relinquished one of the lowest completion percentages when targeted this season. He can be a dominant player, but he's got to clean up his penalty issue before reaching his full potential.
On one hand, the Broncos need Moss to stay physical and aggressive, while on the other, figuring out how not to be so grabby at the catch point. He's not going to sacrifice his aggression in his pursuit of penalty Shangri-La.
“I’m going to continue to be aggressive. I’m going to continue to play, but I’m going to work on (it)," Moss said post-game via KOA Radio. "Because it’s been a consistent thing, so it’s time to figure it out.”
After the bye, Surtain is expected back, which will take some of the pressure off Moss. Teams will continue to test Moss, though, in hopes of drawing a flag.
Right now, Moss is caught up in the same situation that Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles dealt with early on in his NFL career. The refs whip out the magnifying glass on every single rep, instead of letting him play with the benefit of the doubt.
The Takeaway
Moss ranks fourth on the team in tackles, with 52 (38 solo). He's also broken up 10 passes, but he's still looking for his first interception of the 2025 campaign.
The Broncos may be willing to live with Moss' penalties as a sunk cost of sorts, because he's so good in every other aspect of his cornerback responsibilities. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and head coach Sean Payton have been patient in their willingness to live the penalties because Moss is so lock-down in coverage, and he's a phenom in run support.
This is an issue the Broncos won't want to come back to haunt them in the playoffs. As Moss said, it starts in practice, and the Broncos will have two weeks to help him figure out the technical flaws to his game that are leading to the most penalties by a cornerback in the NFL this season.
