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The Detroit Lions produced one of the best NFL stories of the 2023 season. Moving forward, Jared Goff wants more positivity from the local media.
Appearing on the Wilbo Trading Cards podcast, Goff shared his gripe with Detroit’s coverage of the Lions.
“I probably need to drop it pretty soon here because I’m hopefully gonna be in Detroit for a long time, but I have this thing with our local media where they almost like relish in negativity at times,” Goff said, via AtoZ Sports . “And maybe that’s what gets clicks and that’s what sells, but it’s no longer what they need to live in. Like, hey guys, we have a good team.”
Goff was discussing a viral interaction with a Lions beat reporter ahead of Detroit’s NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers. The journalist said the Lions have “really good players” who are “maybe not viewed as superstars like the 49ers.”
The quarterback recanted his thanks from the first part once the reporter continued his question.
Goff said on the podcast that he “wasn’t trying to be rude,” but he would have rather discussed Detroit’s players than San Francisco’s roster. He felt the question suggested the Lions were “privileged” just to get a chance to face the 49ers.
“We’ve had success. We can be happy about that. We can celebrate that and not have to write about how we’re constantly the underdog,” Goff continued. “No, teams are gonna be gunning for us now. We won the divsion and all that. I’m probably overthinking it in my head just because it’s the chip on my shoulder and the competitor in me.”
Negativity is hardly just a Detroit thing, but the Lions probably received more positive national coverage than most teams during a feel-good playoff run. Yet Goff doesn’t appear to think the scrappy underdog framing fits his team anymore.
Goff getting his wish could become a double-edged sword. No longer treating the Lions as an underdog would yield more scrutiny if they don’t meet elevated expectations in 2024.