By Blessing 
Jared Goff Under Pressure as Lions Aim for Super Bowl Glory
Over the past few seasons, expectations for the Detroit Lions have steadily risen. In 2023, they showed they belonged among the NFC’s top teams, coming close to knocking out the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.
That performance set the bar high for 2024, and the Lions lived up to it in the regular season, finishing with an impressive 15-2 record. However, their playoff run was a massive disappointment, as they were eliminated in their first postseason game. Now, heading into the 2025 season, the pressure is back on—especially for quarterback Jared Goff.
CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr recently ranked Goff fourth on a list of quarterbacks facing the most pressure to win a Super Bowl. The only QBs ahead of him? Dak Prescott, Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen. Unlike them, Goff has already had a shot at the big game, leading the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl in 2018.
Unfortunately, that game didn’t go well for him. He completed just 19 of 38 passes and threw an interception in a 13-3 loss to the New England Patriots. The Rams’ three points tied for the lowest score in Super Bowl history. As expected, Goff took much of the blame for the loss.
Since then, however, he’s grown as a quarterback. During his time in Detroit, Goff has helped turn the Lions into legitimate contenders, which is why the pressure is mounting. He has proven he’s a far better player than the one who struggled against the Patriots years ago.
Still, when the Lions return to the playoffs, he’ll need to be sharper than he was in their last appearance, where he threw three interceptions against the Commanders. That game aside, Goff has been consistently productive, throwing for over 4,000 yards in each of the past three seasons and finishing fifth in MVP voting last year.
Of course, getting back to the Super Bowl won’t be easy. The NFC North is stacked, and the road to the championship will be filled with tough competition. But as Detroit heads into 2025, one thing is clear—their eyes are locked on the Lombardi Trophy.