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Nobody can accuse Jared Goff of setting the bar low.
“I think we just have a group of guys that are so dang talented so we know what our potential can be, and it becomes a waste if you’re not trying to reach perfection and strive for that,” the Detroit Lions quarterback said Wednesday, per ESPN’s Eric Woodyard.
“It’s really never attainable, but that’s what you’re going for and I think we have a group of guys that are so dang talented but also are such hard workers and want that greatness and want to try to be some of the best ever.”
Woodyard noted Goff acknowledged the offense discussed being one of the greatest in league history during the offseason, and it’s hard to argue with the results.
Detroit is 9-1 and sitting atop the NFC standings with the opportunity to earn the No. 1 seed and the first-round bye that comes with it. It already has notable victories over the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings within the NFC North and enters Sunday’s matchup with the Indianapolis Colts on an eight-game winning streak.
A star-studded offense is a major reason for the success, as Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery make up one of the best one-two punches in the league in the backfield, while Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best receivers in the league.
Throw in Goff completing 73 percent of his passes for 2,492 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and opposing defenses have been consistently overwhelmed.
As for where the Lions rank among other elite offenses throughout history, Woodyard noted they are scoring touchdowns on 36 percent of their drives. That mark puts them fourth in the past 25 years behind only the 2007 New England Patriots (40.1%), 2020 Green Bay Packers (39.8%) and 2018 Kansas City Chiefs (38.8%).
What’s more, their 32.2 points per game mark is fifth-best in the last 25 seasons behind the 2013 Denver Broncos (35.7), 2007 Patriots (33.3), 2018 Chiefs (33.1) and 2011 New Orleans Saints (32.4).
Being among the best offenses of the last three decades is certainly a worthwhile pursuit, but the ultimate goal remains the same.
Detroit has never won a Super Bowl in franchise history but has an excellent chance to change that this season. It reached the NFC Championship Game last season just to lose to the San Francisco 49ers on the road, but it will have home-field advantage this time around if it continues to win.
And it will be difficult not to win if the offense continues to play at a historic level.
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