Before Sunday, Jared Goff had turned the ball over seven times in three career losses to teams with Brian Flores on the coaching staff. He had been intercepted eight times this season when pressured, and the Vikings blitzed him on 63.4 percent of his drop backs on Sunday, according to Pro Football Focus.
But Goff left U.S. Bank Stadium as the first victorious Detroit Lions quarterback since Matthew Stafford in 2017, having thrown his average pass just 4.2 yards downfield, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. It's a recipe teams have tried against the Vikings for much of the season, and the Lions used it with efficiency, as Goff completed 30 of his 40 passes for 257 yards and a touchdown without a turnover in a 30-24 victory.