Nov 9, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) while leaving the field after the Lions' game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium. Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
By Sam Neumann on

Jared Goff took a shot at Louis Riddick during his weekly radio appearance on 97.1 The Ticket.

The Detroit Lions quarterback was asked about a peculiar exchange with Commanders defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw during Sunday’s 44-22 victory over Washington. Kinlaw had jumped offside, been flagged for the penalty, and then got animated with Goff on the field despite openly admitting he had committed the infraction. Goff’s response to the question veered from Kinlaw’s bizarre behavior to the Daron Payne punch that happened earlier in the game, and then landed squarely on the ESPN analyst.

“Yeah, he was… I don’t know. I don’t know what he was really saying,” Goff said. “He jumped offside, I told him he jumped offside. He said, ‘I know.’ I don’t know why he was so excited about jumping offside, but he was. I think that was before or after they punched St. Brown in the face, so I can’t wait to see Louis Riddick break that one down for us this week on Turning Point.”

The reference to Riddick stems from a video NFL Films posted on social media in mid-October analyzing the Lions’ loss to Kansas City. The segment focused on safety Brian Branch and the fight with Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster that resulted in Branch’s ejection late in the game. Rather than simply providing context for what happened, Riddick’s narration spent considerable time cataloging every mistake Branch made throughout the contest before the altercation, painting a picture of a player whose poor performance led to his eventual breakdown.

“It was a long game for Lions safety Brian Branch, number 32,” Riddick said in the video. “He got burned by (Travis) Kelce’s basketball move. He got showed up by (Patrick) Mahomes. He got juked by Xavier Worthy and took a shot from JuJu Smith-Schuster. The turning point led to Branch’s boiling point.”

The video drew immediate backlash from Lions fans who felt NFL Films was piling on Branch rather than offering meaningful analysis. Several Lions players also voiced their frustration with the segment on social media. The criticism grew loud enough that NFL Films deleted the video entirely, and both the production company and Riddick felt compelled to issue public statements addressing the controversy.

Riddick wrote on social media that he had “nothing but respect” for the Lions organization and emphasized that there was “NEVER an intent to do a ‘hit piece’ on anyone or any team.” He acknowledged that the clip “could be taken as an attempt to cast the #Lions or Brian Branch in a calculated, unfavorable manner.” He promised that anything with his name attached to it would “never again leave room for it to be interpreted that way in the future.”

The punch Goff referenced in his dig at Riddick happened in the second quarter Sunday after Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored on a 13-yard touchdown run to extend Detroit’s lead to 22-3. As Lions players began walking back toward their sideline following the score, Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne approached Amon-Ra St. Brown and punched him directly in the facemask. Officials immediately ejected Payne from the game, and the NFL followed up Monday by suspending him one game without pay. When Payne appealed the suspension, hearing officer Ramon Foster upheld it Tuesday, meaning Payne will miss Washington’s Week 11 game against Miami in Madrid.

Payne’s teammate, Javon Kinlaw, defended him after Sunday’s loss, making a specific claim that St. Brown had actually thrown the first punch two plays earlier and that officials standing right there had seen it happen but chose not to flag the Lions receiver.

“I just felt like in the moment we were being cheated, to be honest,” Kinlaw said. “Daron only retaliated because the refs literally saw the first punch, you know what I’m saying? I don’t blame him for the way he reacted and tempers got to flying.”

Asked directly if he saw St. Brown hit Payne first, Kinlaw doubled down. “Yeah, for sure, and they did too. That sh*t was some bullsh*t, 100 percent.”

St. Brown acknowledged there had been an earlier confrontation between the two players but offered a much different characterization of what transpired.

“I mean, I think two plays before that, we got into a little scuffle, back and forth, whatever, this, that, and the other,” St. Brown said. “And then we end up scoring, and I go up to him. I say a little something, nothing crazy, and then he decides to swing on me, so, I mean, it is what it is.”

For a few days, there was no video evidence to support Kinlaw’s version of events. The broadcast angles clearly captured Payne’s punch, but didn’t show whatever happened during the earlier play Kinlaw was referencing. That changed Tuesday afternoon when NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay posted footage on social media that vindicated Kinlaw’s account.

Now that a video surfaced showing St. Brown actually throwing the first punch, Goff’s request for a Turning Point breakdown probably isn’t something he wants anymore. Not that it matters — after the Branch video got deleted and Riddick had to apologize, he’s not going near another Lions story anyway.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann