The Detroit Lions have struggled to get consistent quarterback play during the 2021 season, and now they are dealing with a health problem of Jared Goff complicating matters further.
Goff may or may not be ready to play by Sunday, and he missed practice on Wednesday in an early-week frustration for the team. Whether or not Goff will be able to go is the big issue for Lions fans to watch the rest of the week, and the quarterback himself was pretty coy on the matter Wednesday.
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Speaking to the media on November 17 in an interview posted to DetroitLions.com, Goff admitted to being a bit more sore than he would have expected coming off of Week 10.
“Pretty sore. A little more sore than I expected I think, but I’m alright,” he told the media when asked of his feelings. According to Goff, the problem is not pain, but rather functionality with his body and his ability to throw.
“It’s more functionality. The pain is whatever I can mask that. It’s being able to function fully. We’ll see,” he said.
Goff did confirm that since Sunday, he has felt better. Even such, he doesn’t know if he will be able to go.
“It has gotten better since the game. Will it be better by Sunday? I don’t know. We’ll see. Hopeful,” Goff said.
With this in mind, clearly, anything remains on the table for the Lions in Week 11. If Goff can’t go, the team will start backup Tim Boyle or David Blough, with Boyle potentially gaining the nod. It’s clear that Goff himself still isn’t sure what might play out.
Who’s Likely to Start at Quarterback if Goff Can’t Play
If Goff doesn’t make it through practice this week, many thought the next man up would be David Blough, who is currently the team’s backup at this point. Even though that was the case, the team has Tim Boyle waiting in the wings and Boyle took the first-team reps on Wednesday afternoon. Boyle received a cult following with fans thanks to the way he performs in the offseason, training camp and preseason. Boyle hasn’t registered and NFL touchdown or interception, and has just 15 passing yards to his credit.
Opposite that, Blough has plenty of NFL experience to rely on already. Following college, Blough was brought into the league by the Cleveland Browns after the 2018 NFL Draft. He was an undrafted free agent signing of the team and competed during the preseason and training camp to be on the roster. Prior to final cuts, he was traded to the Lions in exchange for a seventh round draft pick. In Detroit, Blough was the third string quarterback behind Jeff Driskel and Matthew Stafford, and probably never dreamed he’d get any shot at the NFL fast. When injury arose to both players ahead of him, it happened in 2019.
Since getting his big break, Blough played decently for the Lions, throwing for 862 yards, 4 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in the league. He wasn’t able to get the Lions over the top and win a game when he a starter, but he was also a third-string rookie quarterback thrown into the fire that was never expected to see the field so fast.
If Blough had to start, the Lions would at least have confidence knowing he’s done it before in the league. Boyle doesn’t have that level of experience, but the Lions seem the most intrigued by him at this point in time in a backup role.
Writer Believes Goff Knows It’s Possible He Sits
Listening to Goff speak, according to Justin Rogers of the Detroit News, he can sense that Goff understands and is resigned to the fact that he might not be able to start in Week 11. Rogers tweeted about this revelation after listening to Goff on Wednesday afternoon.
The first Sunday without Goff would be interesting, because it would allow the Lions to at least get a look at the other quarterbacks on the roster for the future. It might be too risky for Goff to play as well given the Lions have a short week coming up with Thanksgiving.
Will these potential tea leaves represent the truth by the time the weekend rolls around? Fans will simply have to stay tuned.
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