Jared Goff threw four touchdown passes Thursday night, but his assessment of the Detroit Lions’ offense began with the possessions that produced nothing.

Following Detroit’s 41–31 road loss to the Buffalo Bills, Goff repeatedly pointed to a problem he believes has carried through the opening two games: the Lions are taking too long to get going.

He wants that addressed with urgency.

“I think urgency early on. For the last two games, really, we’ve had good moments, but I think we need to really understand that we need to start good. We need to start with that momentum and ignite some of those plays on the first drive and the second drive, and not allow ourselves to get in these holes.”

Against Buffalo, Detroit’s eventual offensive production could not overcome the cost of its opening struggles.

Detroit’s late production could not erase the early deficit

The Lions were outscored 14–0 in the first quarter and trailed 27–10 at halftime. Goff finished 26-of-38 for 327 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, but Detroit spent the second half trying to make the game competitive enough for one possession to matter.

As the game recap detailed, Buffalo built an early 21–0 lead behind an offense that ultimately produced six touchdowns.

“Yeah, I think we knew what type of game it was going to be, and we dug ourselves in that hole. Against a team like that, with the offense they have, it’s really hard to get back in it. We got close. We were down 10 there with some opportunities to get back in it, but we dug ourselves in too big a hole.”

That was the distinction in Goff’s assessment. Scoring 31 points showed what Detroit could produce. The timing of those points helped explain why it still lost.

Goff wants the opening possessions treated with greater urgency

Buffalo entered the matchup well aware of Detroit’s offensive ability. Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard had described the Lions’ offense as “not fun” to study on tape.

The Lions eventually demonstrated that ability. Amon-Ra St. Brown finished with nine catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns, while Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta each caught a scoring pass.

Goff’s concern was getting that production started before the opponent established control.

Asked what he wanted Detroit to attack during the extra time before its next game, he returned to the opening quarter.

“Gosh, consistency, and again, finding a way to be very intentional about starting fast. I think both games, like I said, we had good moments. We really had good second halves in both games, but being intentional about, ‘Hey, this game starts in the first quarter. Let’s go and get going.’”

His proposed correction begins with preparation and awareness. Detroit cannot approach an early empty possession as something it will automatically make up later.

Penalties made difficult possessions harder

Goff also identified a more concrete issue: penalties that changed manageable situations.

Detroit entered Thursday without starting offensive linemen Christian Mahogany and Blake Miller, and the crowd in Buffalo added another challenge. Goff acknowledged the atmosphere while making clear that the offense had to function through it.

“I think we had a false start. At least one. I think we had a couple false starts. Yeah, it was loud. It was good. We’ve got to handle it better, and some of those penalties killed us, man. They really did. We were in third-and-short and it backed us up, and I believe a fourth-down one as well. But we’ve got to be better there.”

Those mistakes matter to the larger problem he described. Starting faster requires sustaining possessions, and moving backward before the snap makes that harder.

Goff was sacked four times, and Detroit finished with only 66 rushing yards. The passing production came within an offense that still had substantial problems to clean up.

Goff puts responsibility on himself to deliver the message

Goff’s comments did not amount to a detailed diagnosis of every failed early play. He acknowledged that he had not yet reviewed the offensive line’s performance and could not say precisely what changed when Detroit found its rhythm.

He was much more certain about his responsibility as a leader.

“Again, I think just being intentional about understanding that that’s where our deficiency has been in these last two weeks, and making sure guys realize the urgency to it. There’s certainly no time to wait. We’re in the middle of this thing now. We’ve got to get going earlier offensively. I think just speaking it and making sure guys understand that it’s urgent and it’s intentional.”

At 1–1, Detroit has time to correct the pattern. Goff’s concern is what happens if the Lions allow it to become familiar.

Thursday showed the limits of relying on a second-half response. Detroit scored 21 points after halftime and still never brought the deficit within one possession.

Buffalo gave the Lions a clear measure

Goff credited his teammates for continuing to compete. He said there was no panic as Detroit tried to work its way back, drawing on previous games in which the Lions had recovered from difficult situations.

But his assessment of where Detroit stood after facing Buffalo was direct.

“Yeah, I think anytime you play a good team like that, a team that’s been to the playoffs as many times as they have and has had the success they’ve had, you get to see where you stack up. And we’re not there yet. They played really well tonight, played the game they wanted to play, and we got what we deserved to some extent. You get what you deserve on both sides of the coin in the NFL, and they beat us.”

The Lions showed they could keep responding. Goff wants them to give themselves a chance to control the game from the opening possession.