/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72693256/usa_today_21497299.0.jpg)
Sometimes you just know when a play is going to work.
That was the case for Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff last Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. Coming out of an injury timeout, Goff huddled with the team, and—as captured on NFL Films’ “Inside the NFL”—he told his team they were about to connect on a big play.
“I don’t know if y’all want to know, but this is the one,” Goff is heard saying to the huddle.
He was right. Goff proceeded to run a perfectly executed play-action rollout. When Goff set his feet, tight end Sam LaPorta was running absolutely free deep in the secondary. With Calais Campbell closing in fast, Goff unleashed the deep ball right into the hands of LaPorta for a 45-yard touchdown and an early 10-3 lead over Atlanta.
Here’s the brief mic’d up session below:
"This is the one." @JaredGoff16 knew he had a TD coming to Sam LaPorta @InsideTheNFL pic.twitter.com/EH6MWOYrwj
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) September 27, 2023
There’s an extended version of the clip available on the full episode of “Inside the NFL,” which is available to watch for free here. The clip clicks off the fourth segment of the show, and there’s also a nice breakdown of the play from former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, including his thoughts on calling your shot to the team before making a play like this.
“So they knew they were getting man (coverage) here, and they put the tight end—very rarely—on a corner post, and they busted the coverage, got a touchdown here,” Cutler explains. “I’m more nervous in this situation. Sometimes you tell the guys, sometimes you don’t tell the guys. But he obviously opted to call the shot, tell the guys. Unbelievable play call. They set it up perfectly.”
Loading comments...