Alexander: Jared Goff’s return went about as expected

It is an aged NFL saying, usually credited to Bill Parcells, and it’s presently a brusque world for the 0-7 Detroit Lions.

“We are what our grounds says we are,” Lions manager Dan Campbell said Sunday afternoon. “That’s the bottommost enactment astir this league.”

And possibly that’s the lens done which the Jared Goff-for-Matthew Stafford commercialized should beryllium viewed.

Sunday’s archetypal gathering of the Rams and Lions successful the aftermath of the offseason swap of quarterbacks whitethorn not person gone precisely arsenic expected, since the experts successful the godforsaken had Los Angeles favored by 16-1/2 and the last borderline was 28-19, Rams.

The principals performed astir arsenic you’d expect. Stafford was 28 for 41 for 334 yards and 3 touchdowns and passed 300 vocation touchdown passes for a squad that is present 6-1. Goff was 22 for 36 for 268 yards and a touchdown – a 63-yard play to D’Andre Swift connected a surface pass, connected the Lions’ archetypal possession – and was sacked doubly and intercepted twice.

And possibly the existent bottommost enactment is what Campbell said aft past Sunday’s Lions nonaccomplishment to Cincinnati.

“I consciousness similar helium needs to measurement up much than helium has,” the manager said. And then, toward the extremity of that thought, helium added: “But helium needs help. He needs help.”

Sunday astatine SoFi was chiefly affirmative for the visitors. The Lions stayed person than they reasonably should have, acknowledgment to 3 palmy instrumentality plays – a palmy onside footwear aft their opening drive, starring to a tract extremity and a 10-0 lead, and 2 palmy fake punts, 1 for a 17-yard summation and the different for 28. They made the Rams sweat, and they were astatine the Los Angeles 12 with conscionable nether 5 minutes to play and a accidental to instrumentality the lead, but Aaron Donald deed Goff arsenic helium threw, Jalen Ramsey hauled successful the walk astatine the extremity line, and that was that.

“Those 2 guys are the champion astatine their presumption for a reason,” Goff told reporters successful the postgame interrogation room. He of each radical should know.

It was a emblematic Goff game, 1 with which his erstwhile instrumentality basal should beryllium familiar.

There were highlight-reel plays, including the 63-yard surface walk and a 37-yard onslaught to Kalif Raymond successful the 3rd quarter, a dart into a precise constrictive window. And determination were not-so-good moments, specified arsenic a walk successful the absorption of an violative lineman erstwhile helium was nether pressure, a hold of crippled successful the reddish portion toward the extremity of the archetypal fractional instantly aft he’d spiked the shot to halt the clock, a wasted timeout successful the 2nd fractional … you get the picture.

“I thought helium was bully capable to triumph with, with what we were trying to do,” Campbell said successful his interrogation country session. “I thought helium gave america a chance. We needed to play this crippled a definite way. … We needed to effort and instrumentality astir successful the 4th fourth and effort and find a mode to triumph it, and truly we had an accidental determination astatine the end.”

It has to beryllium discouraging, doesn’t it? Goff was connected teams that won part titles, went to a Super Bowl, and were consistently successful the hunt during his 4 afloat seasons arsenic QB1 successful Los Angeles. Now he’s with a squad wherever getting adjacent is simply a affirmative and the precedence is to marque definite the guys successful that locker country enactment successful the fight.

“Yeah, I bash judge we’re a batch amended than 0-7,” helium said. “We’ve had immoderate chances to triumph this twelvemonth and yet haven’t done it. But that being said, teams that bash triumph games successful this league triumph games for a reason, and vice versa. So we request to find a mode to get connected that broadside of it a small much often.

“It’s the aforesaid conversation: Moral triumph versus what’s the existent record. … I would person to judge determination was a batch much amended worldly retired determination contiguous than determination was past week, and truthful yeah, you tin accidental that’s successful the close direction. But astatine the aforesaid clip our league’s based connected results. They don’t attraction if you’re getting amended oregon you’re improving oregon if you look amended 1 week aft another.”

And sure, to triumph this 1 would person been “maybe a small much special,” arsenic helium enactment it, fixed the circumstances and given his acknowledgement that helium felt disrespected by the mode things were handled. 

But successful different consciousness it was a reunion. Goff inactive has a batch of buddies successful the Rams’ locker room, and astir of them caught up with him either during warmups oregon aft the game.

“I didn’t deliberation astir it until afterward, but there’s a batch of guys I ne'er saw aft the trade, and being capable to spot them and accidental hullo and drawback up for 2 minutes was good,” helium said. “I got a batch of memories of a batch of those guys and a batch of lifelong friendships. We did immoderate beauteous peculiar things successful my 5 years here. It’s thing I’m decidedly arrogant of, what we were capable to execute erstwhile I was with L.A., and it’s ever chill to spot that and (see) guys that mean thing to you.”

And aft the game, Sean McVay pulled his erstwhile backmost aside.

“I’m not going to get into (what was said),” McVay said successful the Rams interrogation room, but past answered it with the precise adjacent question: “‘Great job, interaction basal with you aboriginal on.’”

And past they went their abstracted ways, 1 seeking to vie for a title and the different trying to yet get a victory.

jalexander@scng.com

@Jim_Alexander connected Twitter