On Sunday, Jared Goff will be in familiar territory, but the atmosphere will be unfriendly.
The NFL championship game between the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers will take place in the Bay Area under Goff’s leadership. The victor will move on to the 58th Super Bowl.
Goff was born in Novato, California, which is roughly 75 miles north of Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium, the home field of the 49ers, where Sunday’s game will take place. Because of his stellar performance as a quarterback at the University of California-Berkeley, Goff was selected first overall by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2016 NFL Draft. Goff played at the stadium a lot while he was with the Rams, so he is familiar with the region.
“It’ll be fun to be able to play a big game there, but I’ve played there quite a few times,” Goff told reporters Wednesday. ‘We’ll have some friends and family there. It’ll be cool.”
The game will be the biggest of many players’ careers, and the Lions have a chance to make it to their first Super Bowl in franchise history. Throughout his career, Goff has appeared on this stage previously. In the NFC championship game, he started at quarterback as the Rams defeated the New Orleans Saints 26–23 to go to Super Bowl 53, where they were defeated by the New England Patriots.
In the two victories the Lions have had in the postseason, Goff appears to be drawing on that experience. Throughout the playoffs, he has been unflappable on the field, finishing 74.3% of his passes with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Coach Dan Campbell of Detroit stated that he anticipates Goff to do well in the 49ers game.
“Goff feels fantastic, and he’s the least of my worries. He will be alright, Campbell assured reporters. “He knows this because he has done it before.”
According to Campbell, having a quarterback with big-game experience and familiarity with the stadium will be crucial to the outcome of the contest.
Campbell told reporters, “I think it does help at the quarterback position to understand what you’re in.” The stakes increase, and it’s significant, in my opinion, to have previous experience here. He has a lot of football playing experience, having attended many important games in a variety of settings, and he has been here before. Well, it certainly helps.
