Jared Goff’s first pass of the night on Monday was a straightforward 1-yard completion to tight end Sam LaPorta, occurring just moments into the first quarter. His last pass? A perfectly thrown ball to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who jumped to secure a touchdown with 5:23 left in the game.
In the nearly three hours between those two throws, Goff completed 16 more passes, showcasing a variety of styles—some were fastballs, others deep throws, including a remarkable 70-yard catch-and-run to Jameson Williams. One pass was even delivered while he was spun around by a defender. Remarkably, every single pass was completed.
That’s right: Goff finished the game with an astonishing 18 completions out of 18 attempts. Not a single ball hit the ground—no drops, no errant throws. This means that a Detroit Lions starting quarterback achieved a perfect game, an incredible feat.
“It’s good,” Goff remarked in a postgame interview after the Lions secured a 42-29 victory over the Seahawks at Ford Field. “When the ball doesn’t touch the ground, it’s good.” Good? More like perfection! These weren’t just simple dump-offs or short screens; Goff executed challenging plays—finding his tight end while rolling out, hitting his wide receiver on a crossing route, and moving the pocket to wait for a receiver to break free before delivering the ball with precision.
Eighteen-for-eighteen? Flawless.
‘I Was Fired Up’
Goff’s performance looked almost mechanical, with tight spirals and precise placement. Even without his star center, Frank Ragnow, Goff exhibited such a high level of play that some teammates and coaches initially failed to grasp the significance of his achievement: he had completed a record-setting 18 passes without a single incompletion, totaling 292 yards.
“I just gave the game ball to somebody else, so I feel awful right now,” head coach Dan Campbell laughed during his postgame press conference. “I knew he played a heck of a game. I did not realize he was perfect.”
St. Brown, too, was taken aback when informed of Goff’s achievement. “The reporter said, ‘Your quarterback, the ball didn’t touch the ground,’ and I thought, ‘What does she mean the ball didn’t touch the ground?’ I know he didn’t fumble,” he explained to ESPN. “After the game, I realized he went 18-for-18. I think he had more receiving touchdowns than incompletions.”
And let’s not forget the standout moment in the third quarter when Goff faked a handoff to David Montgomery and then received a pitch from St. Brown. As Goff snuck into the end zone, he made history by catching his first-ever touchdown pass, contributing to the Lions’ perfect passing record for the night. With that catch, the Lions went 19-for-19 on their passing attempts. The only other instance of a team achieving perfection in passing attempts was in 1942, when the Giants completed just one pass.
That shouldn’t even count, right?
Flawless.
All these statistics would be meaningless if the Lions hadn’t secured a win, but they did, triumphing over an undefeated Seattle team that had bested them in their last six encounters. The Lions showcased a powerful offense complemented by just enough defense to seal the victory, which was secured when Kerby Joseph intercepted a Geno Smith pass in the end zone with only 66 seconds left on the clock.
“It’s good we finally beat those guys,” Aidan Hutchinson stated to the media. “I think the difference was we got the stops we needed at the end.”
However, the Lions’ defense faced challenges throughout the game, allowing the Seahawks to accumulate 516 total yards and 38 first downs while committing 12 penalties for 101 yards—something that will surely frustrate Campbell once he finishes celebrating.
“I’m proud of the guys,” he said. “What we did really well was play complementary football, and that’s what good teams do.”
We knew the Lions had the potential for greatness, but who would have thought that the “compliment” in “complementary” would also refer to a quarterback’s perfect passing night?
This was a significant moment for Goff, who has often battled the lingering perception of being traded for a more glamorous option—Matthew Stafford—four years ago. His understated style often keeps him off highlight reels, and his quiet demeanor doesn’t create the social media buzz that many other players enjoy.
Yet when Goff is on his game, he is a formidable presence in the NFL. Last season, he demonstrated his ability to deliver low-risk, high-reward performances, while this year started off slowly, with a mixed bag of results. Goff himself acknowledged he hadn’t been playing up to par, but on Monday night, everything clicked.
“I was very confident it would happen,” Goff said about the offense rediscovering its rhythm. “I thought that first half last week was indicative of who we are. … To be able to have a full game that felt like that, that’s what you want.”
Indeed, it is. Here’s hoping Goff eventually receives that game ball and keeps it in a place where it won’t be lost or damaged. After all, achieving perfection is a rare feat. With a Lions quarterback now on the list of those who have accomplished it, the seemingly impossible doesn’t appear so far-fetched anymore.
And who knows? The Tigers might just be playoff-bound this Tuesday!
