Allen Park — Lions quarterback Jared Goff is closing in on etching his name into the record books.
He’s thrown 359 consecutive passes without an interception, a franchise mark that ranks as the third-longest streak in NFL history. He’s made 10 starts since he was last picked off by a defender, another streak that’s tied for the second-longest in the league since 1965.
Impressive stuff, to be sure. It’s just not something that’s at the forefront of Goff’s mind as the Lions prepare to host the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday’s home opener at Ford Field.
“What streak?” Goff said midway through a reporter’s question on Tuesday when the topic was brought up.
“It’s not on my mind at all. It’s really not. It’s been a lot of things. Obviously, we’ve been playing well, taking care of the ball. And then there’s a lot of luck in it. We have balls batted that hit the ground; that doesn’t always happen. There are a few different things, but if I’m taking care of the ball, we usually win games, so got to keep doing that.”
The last time Goff threw an interception was during last season’s Week 9 win over the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 6, 2022.
Since then, Goff has gone on a remarkable run that has put him in some elite company. He’s 41 pick-free passes away from leapfrogging Tom Brady, whose streak of 399 passes is No. 2 on the list. Not far after that is Aaron Rodgers’ top mark of 402 consecutive interception-less throws.
If Goff can make it 11 straight games without throwing an interception, he’ll move past Derek Carr and tie Rodgers for the longest streak in the league in nearly six decades.
When asked about being included in the same category with quarterbacks like Brady and Rodgers, Goff once again downplayed the feat, interjecting “you (media) guys are talking about it way too much.”
“We (the players) don’t talk about it at all really,” Goff said. “We talk about winning and, again, it’s become a byproduct of taking care of the ball and it typically always is. But there’s a lot of luck, a lot of those guys making catches, a lot of the defensive (guys) not making catches. It’s been a good thing, but it’s not on my mind.”
One thing that is, though, is Detroit’s losses to the Seahawks the past two seasons, which were both high-scoring shootouts. While a knee injury kept Goff out of the 2021 matchup, he played in last season’s tilt and threw a costly pick-six early in the second half of a 48-45 defeat.
That one big mistake — the type that tended to plague him earlier in his career — hasn’t been as much of an issue. He’s been more careful than careless with the ball and has done of better job of picking and choosing his spots to be aggressive.
And the Lions have benefitted, going 8-2 during his streak.
“I think as you get older, you realize when the shot is there and when it’s not,” Goff said. “I think that’s something that I’ve kind of learned as I’ve gone through the last handful of seasons. Just because the shot is called doesn’t mean (it has to be) a shot taken. But then it’s also knowing when it’s there and pulling the trigger and making those tight-window throws and finding that balance.”
Goff noted the Lions want to get their “shot back” at the Seahawks after being beaten two years in a row.
One way to help do so? Goff continuing his pick-free play and extending an astounding streak that he doesn’t think about would go a long way.
“It’s a cool thing to look back on it one day, but if you told me it kept going and we’ve lost games, I don’t care,” he said. “I’m trying to win games. That being a part of that formula, sure, it’s helped but it’s not by any means the focus.”
jhawkins@detroitnews.com
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