Most football fans would consider Jared Goff a fairly mild mannered quarterback.
But after leading the Detroit Lions to a 34-20 win over the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night, the veteran signal-caller couldn’t help but confront one of his critics.
After completing 19 of 28 pass attempts for 210 yards, one touchdown and one interception, Goff was invited to participate in the NFL on Prime Video poastgame show. And while discussing his performance, the former No. 1 overall pick responded to a comment made by Ryan Fitzpatrick, who previously referred to him as a “poor man’s Matt Ryan.”
“I thought I played better through the rest of the game,” Goff told Fitzpatrick. “I hope it’s up to your standards.”
“You played very well,” Fitzpatrick replied.
“I didn’t know I was a poor man’s anything but it’s OK,” Goff continued.
From there the panel — featuring Charissa Thompson, Tony Gonzalez, Andrew Whitworth, Richard Sherman and Fitzpatrick — erupted, with Fitzpatrick briefly trying to pin the criticism on Whitworth. Goff, for what it’s worth, was smiling as Fitzpatrick replied, “Matt Ryan’s a pretty good player too.”
“Matt Ryan’s a helluva player,” Goff agreed. “I’m giving you a hard time, I appreciate it man.”
SPICY!
Jared Goff hears all the noise!#TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/oH1KgOCe9Y
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) September 29, 2023
All things considered, the interaction between Goff and Fitzpatrick was a fun one that was handled well on both sides. It was also refreshing to see Goff break from the typical quarterback clichés we often hear in postgame interviews in a way that didn’t feel mean spirited and for Fitzpatrick to take the response in stride.
And to Fitzpatrick’s point, there’s nothing wrong with being compared to Ryan, who was the 2016 NFL MVP and whose career might ultimately receive Hall of Fame consideration. Perhaps the next step in this saga — if you can even call it that — is for Ryan, who is currently working as an analyst for CBS, to weigh in with his opinion on whether Goff is a poor man’s him.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.