DETROIT — Nearly an hour before kickoff, the crowd began chanting his name. Legendary rocker and Detroit native Bob Seger was spotted on the field, shortly after being loudly introduced by the PA announcer.
“Red Goff, Red Goff, Red Goff.”
Oft-maligned quarterback Jared Goff also won a second home last week as he and the Lions beat out the Rams and former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford in the wild-card round, leaving countless vacant spots in Detroit. I heard that chant as I was exorcising my postseason demons. playoff game.
It was Detroit's first playoff victory in 32 years.
Did you think Goff had a day last week?
Coming into the Motor City on Sunday, it was hard to imagine a fuller, more productive night than the one the Lions enjoyed last Sunday when they dispatched Stafford and the Rams.
The place Stafford called home for 12 years.
And a packed crowd at Ford Field loudly shouted his name.
But now Goff has entered a whole new place of complacency. After the Lions' 31-23 win over the Buccaneers in Sunday's regional playoff round, Goff can lead the Lions to their first Super Bowl in franchise history with just one more playoff win — something Stafford is close to doing. I didn't reach that point.
That chant was heard again shortly after Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes scored on Baker Mayfield with 1:33 left in the game to seal the game, and Goff took a knee in the winning position to call a timeout.
“Red Goff, Red Goff, Red Goff.”
Goff is the leader of Detroit's blue-collar organization, the true “America's Team,” the Dallas Cowboys.
The Lions, led by head coach Dan Campbell, are a team full of dropouts and second-chance players with no stars, and just about everyone in America wants to fill their beers and knock them back.
Goff is the ultimate castoff, mocked as a throw-in in the Los Angeles-to-Detroit trade that sent Stafford to the Rams in 2021.
Goff completed 30 of 43 for 287 yards, two TDs and no turnovers.
To be fair, both quarterbacks in this game deserved this honor. Mayfield deserves this just as much as Goff. I couldn't help but root for them as it felt like a very long time had passed for both of them.
The only disappointment of the day was that neither of them would be able to go to the NFC Championship game, neither would be able to play next week, and one of them would have to fly home after Sunday's game.
This was the “Redemption Bowl,” and the stars were two once-forgotten quarterbacks.
Both players played the game as if they refused to lose. Both players played as if they were making up for lost time. It was as if they used those 60 minutes of playoff football to prove a point against their former employers and the countless fans who had deserted them.
When the game was over, it was Goff who triumphantly trotted off his home field as the winner, hearing the sweet sound of his name being chanted. Next up is a trip to Santa Clara, California, where the top-seeded 49ers await.
Goff is a West Coast native who attended high school in Marin County and played college ball at Cal-Berkeley.
“We're not done with this guy being in charge,” Lions center Frank Ragnow said, pointing to Goff.
“I get to go home and play in front of my friends and family,” Goff said.
Every one of the 66,201 people in the house treated him like family.
“They're the best,” Goff said as he looked out into the stands celebrating Lions fans. “Look around, they're not going to leave here for a while. They deserve this. They have a right to enjoy this and we want to give them even more in the future. Masu.”
It was fitting that Aretha Franklin's hit song “Respect” was playing over Ford Field's PA system as Goff left the field after completing several interviews.
Campbell told anyone who will listen this week that the Lions bandwagon is full and urged previous skeptics not to bother jumping on it.
“He's the best leader I've ever had,” Ragnow said of Campbell. “We absolutely love this man.”
So Campbell, Goff and the rest of the Lions will play in the championship game for the first time in 32 years since the Bobby Laine era.
“We're in great shape right now,” Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson said. “As 'AG'” [defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn] “I'm just cashing the check and getting the ring,” he said. ”
