Jared Goff completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns in the Detroit Lions’ 31-30 overtime win against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. It was a solid day for the veteran quarterback, even if the game itself was ugly.

Both of his touchdown passes went to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Goff played a lot of snaps under center on Sunday against the Saints, but he was at his most effective when the Lions put him in the shotgun.

Next Gen Stats Reveal Jared Goff’s Shotgun Numbers From Week 1

The Around the NFL staff at NFL.com put together recaps of every Week 1 game of the 2026 NFL season. There were three takeaways from the Lions and Saints matchup.

Along with those takeaways, Next Gen Stats had an interesting note about Goff from the first game of the season. Kevin Patra reported, “Next Gen Stats Insight for Lions-Saints (via NFL Pro): Jared Goff aligned under center on 47 snaps in Week 1 against the Saints, tied for the most of his Lions career. From shotgun, Goff completed 17 of 22 passes for 134 yards and both of his touchdowns. Lions rushers carried the ball 30 times for 145 yards and two scores with Goff under center.”

Goff Was Sharper From Shotgun Than Under Center

Goff finished 26-of-39 for the game. That means he was just 9-of-17 for 72 yards on his throws from under center. Goff performed better from the shotgun despite lining up under center 47 times in the game.

The under-center looks still paid off on the ground. The Lions were effective running the football with Jahmyr Gibbs, who carried 29 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns.