Jared Goff — Week 1: Five Overtime Throws and the Winning One
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 14
Goff completed twenty-six of thirty-nine throws for two hundred six yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, was sacked once, and finished the ten-play overtime drive with a four-yard touchdown to Amon-Ra St. Brown on second and four. Detroit's passing game produced ninety-one yards on nineteen pass plays before halftime and a hundred fifteen on twenty throws after it, and both touchdowns went to St. Brown, in a 31–30 overtime win over the Saints.
When Jared Goff's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
The full episode, in writing
Jared Goff threw five passes in overtime Sunday, and the last of them won the game. Second and four at the New Orleans four, five oh seven left, 24 all: short left to Amon-Ra St. Brown, four yards, touchdown. The throw before that one, two snaps earlier, was the one that made it possible — second and 11 at the New Orleans 27, deep left to Jameson Williams, 21 yards in the air, out of bounds at the five for 22. Those two throws were worth +1.5 and +2.3 expected points added; expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position. The other three overtime throws were nine to Sam LaPorta, seven to Jahmyr Gibbs, and a deep-left incompletion to Williams.
The line: 26 completions on 39 throws, 206 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, one sack for two yards. 207 air yards on the 39. The first half was the thinner one — 19 pass plays, 91 yards, −2 expected points — and it contained the game's two strangest snaps. With 10 47 left in the second quarter the snap was aborted and Goff's fumble was recovered by Williams, who carried it seven yards to the 32. Two plays later, third and 16, Goff was ruled sacked and stripped by Chase Young with Sanker returning it for a touchdown, and the replay official reversed the whole thing to an incomplete pass for LaPorta. Detroit led seven to nothing at the time and would have been up one with a kick to come.
Where the ball went: 14 targets to St. Brown, nine to Williams, eight to LaPorta, five to Gibbs, one each to Isaac TeSlaa, Brock Wright and Sione Vaki. Detroit converted five of 13 third downs, and Goff's throws were four of the five. The other side of the shape is that Gibbs carried 29 times, so the run was very nearly as big a part of it, and all of it was Gibbs. The one clear miss was third and one at the Detroit 44 with 40 seconds left in regulation, 24 all: short right to Williams, incomplete, and the Lions punted. That play cost about eight points of win probability, the chance of winning before and after a snap, and it is why there was an overtime.
Back in June the preview had Goff as a no-call: a QB15 price that fairly reflected a QB9-to-12 track record, with a rebuilt line and a new play-caller listed as the only real unknowns. Sunday was 39 throws with no interception and one sack, which speaks to the line, and 33 runs against 39 throws, which speaks to the play-caller. One week does not sort out either question. Detroit is at the Bills on Thursday the seventeenth. It is a short week.
_Data via nflverse._
When Jared Goff's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
Keep going