NFL Week 4 Monday: Lions QB Jared Goff makes history with Detroit win over Seahawks, Titans get first win

CNN
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Week 4 of the NFL season concluded with another doubleheader on Monday night, with one matchup pitting quality teams against each other and the other pitting two teams looking to seriously boost their season.

Sunday’s action was full of dramatic finishes, outstanding individual performances and surprising results, and while Monday’s late drama was missing, it continued with interesting notes and historical events.

Here are the key storylines from Monday’s two games:

If Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff could have imagined how Monday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks would play out, this is probably how it would be to well imaginable.

The 29-year-old didn’t throw a single incompletion in the 42-29 win and went 18-for-18 for 292 yards and two touchdowns, including a 70-yard TD toss to Jameson Williams.

According to the NFL, Goff became the first QB in NFL history to attempt more than ten passes in a game without throwing an incompletion.

When Goff was asked by ESPN’s Lisa Salters that night about his perfect accuracy, he didn’t even realize he hadn’t missed a pass. And after thinking about it for some time, his reaction was understated.

“Impressive. Yeah, really cool,” Goff said of making history. “It’s a cool thing, I guess, but I’m glad we got the win.”

What’s more, Goff’s night got even better when he caught his first touchdown pass on a trick play when Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown threw him the ball midway through the third quarter.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell said he felt “terrible” after already giving Williams the game ball before learning of Goff’s historic night.

“I knew he played a great game. I didn’t know he was perfect. I didn’t know he was literally 18-for-18,” Campbell told reporters. “But I knew he played really well; you could feel it.

“He really found his rhythm early, and I thought ‘he’s seeing the field, playing with rhythm, he’s got to move around in the pocket a little bit.’… Just a couple big throws.” Played with composure.”

The Lions needed a full team effort to defeat the previously undefeated Seahawks team, who arrived at Ford Field with plenty of confidence.

Seattle quarterback Geno Smith tried valiantly to keep up with the home team and cut the lead to seven with a touchdown on the first drive of the second half.

But as the teams traded points, Detroit used its early lead to secure the victory, improving to 3-1, while the Seahawks slipped to the same record.

Smith threw 38 of 56 for 395 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III had three rushing touchdowns.

Aidan Hutchinson continued his outstanding defensive season for Detroit with a career-high 10 pressures, the most by any player in a game this season, according to the NFL.

After the loss, Seattle’s first-year head coach Mike Macdonald pointed out that his team had plenty of room to grow.

“I wouldn’t say playing Detroit on the road is a litmus test, it just shows us that we’re not the team we need at this point,” Macdonald told reporters. “I mean, that’s it. Just wasn’t good enough.

“They did what they did to win the game. They did a great job, they had a great plan and we failed. So it’s about how we move forward now as a football team and take the next step because we’ve got a short week ahead of us and there’s urgency – I mean there’s always urgency but we’ve got to get to work here in the next few days and do it right.”

It wasn’t a classic, but Tennessee finally came out on top this season.

The Titans picked up their first win of the season thanks to a 31-12 victory over the Miami Dolphins, a game in which Tennessee lost starting quarterback Will Levis to an injury in the first quarter.

Levis suffered a shoulder injury after fighting for a first down and was quickly sidelined for the remainder of Monday’s game. Head coach Bill Callahan said Levis will undergo an MRI scan because it is believed to be an issue with the acromioclavicular joint.

Even during his brief stint on the field, the second-year passer threw an interception, continuing his streak of turning the ball over in every game so far this season.

But even though backup QB Mason Rudolph led the team to victory, Callahan said afterward that Levis would be the team’s starting quarterback when healthy.

“It wasn’t a decision based on anything other than his health and safety, especially with the bye week,” Callahan said. “The shoulder didn’t feel good. I didn’t want to let him out again, and I knew I would be walking quite a bit, so that was really what was taken into account. But he is our starter when he is healthy and we are ready to play with him. ”

Levis was replaced by Rudolph and although he only threw 9 of 17 for 85 yards, the veteran backup was able to score seven points during his time on the field.

Titans kicker Nick Folk was perfect on the night, hitting all five of his field goals as well as his two extra points.

Tennessee’s two touchdowns came via running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears as the duo racked up 127 yards on the ground.

It was another disappointing performance for the Dolphins, as starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was still out with a concussion.

Miami started Tyler Huntley in place of Tagovailoa, but he struggled with consistency, throwing 14-for-22 for 96 yards. He actually scored the team’s only score of the night midway through the fourth quarter.

The Dolphins made history of their own on Monday, becoming the first team since the 2017 Cleveland Browns not to have a lead in the first four games of the season. Miami’s only win – a 20-17 victory in Week 1 against the weak Jacksonville Jaguars – came when Jason Sanders kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired.

Away at Home (winners in bold)

Tennessee Titans 31-12 Miami Dolphins

Seattle Seahawks 29-42 Detroit Lions