After the Detroit Lions’ chaotic loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, a game that featured two touchdowns wiped off the board by offensive pass interference, it didn’t take long for the familiar “Detroit vs. Everybody” narrative to resurface.
But Jared Goff isn’t going there.
Appearing Tuesday on The Karsch and Anderson Show on 97.1 The Ticket, Goff addressed the controversial ending head-on and made it clear he’s not interested in framing it as the league being out to get Detroit.
Confusion, Not Conspiracy
Goff admitted the situation was unlike anything he’d personally experienced, especially the way the officials handled the final sequence.
“I hadn’t been a part of anything like that, no,” Goff said. “I know the first one, they just threw the flag. The second one, they were discussing what actually the result of the play was before… I don’t know why they had to do that, because OPI, the game is over anyway, and I think that is where a lot of the confusion came in.”
That word — confusion — matters. Goff didn’t sound angry. He didn’t sound bitter. And he definitely didn’t sound like someone who believes Detroit gets a raw deal simply because it’s Detroit.
Why Goff Rejects the “Us vs. the League” Narrative
When asked directly whether he believes in the Detroit vs. Everybody mentality after five seasons with the franchise, Goff pushed back, politely, but firmly.
“Yeah, I do think that things like that happen all over the league,” Goff said. “You think about Thursday night last week, that weird two-point conversion — that was a weird scenario there, and that just happened a few days ago. So, I think we are so close to it. I refuse to believe that we are at any deficit more than any other team,” he added with a chuckle.
That response says a lot.
Rather than leaning into grievance, Goff views moments like Sunday as part of the broader NFL landscape, messy, imperfect, and occasionally frustrating for everyone.
Jared Goff's thoughts on the crazy ending to the Steelers game pic.twitter.com/jG1Z7ZyLY4
— 97.1 The Ticket: (@971theticketxyt) December 23, 2025
A Quarterback’s Perspective
This is very much a quarterback answer, and a leader’s answer.
Goff isn’t dismissing Lions fans’ frustration. He’s acknowledging the oddity of the situation while refusing to let it become fuel for a victim mentality. In his mind, bad calls and strange endings aren’t uniquely Detroit problems, they’re NFL problems.
And for a team still fighting to keep its postseason hopes alive, that mindset matters.
Instead of rallying around outrage, Goff is choosing focus. Control what you can. Play better earlier. Don’t let one sequence define you.
That may not fit neatly on a t-shirt, but it’s exactly how a franchise quarterback sounds when he’s trying to keep a locker room steady.
