Detroit Lions ‘trending’ towards starting Jared Goff vs. Bears

Despite reports over the weekend suggesting he was unlikely to play on Thanksgiving, Detroit Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff appears to be trending towards playing against the Chicago Bears on Thursday. Head coach Dan Campbell told media on Tuesday that Goff has continued to look good throwing the ball and is improving.

“I thought he was better today,” Campbell said. “I think it’s leaning that way to Goff (starting).”

When pushed to what percentage chance Goff has for starting on Thursday, Campbell joked, “There’s a 60 percent chance of it being 50-50.”

Goff suffered an oblique injury in Week 10’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The injury held him out of last week’s game against the Cleveland Browns. Goff has played through tough injuries before, but Campbell knows that eagerness to play through pain is something he has to keep in mind when deciding Goff’s fate this Thursday.

“That’s part of my concern because I know how tough he is. He tells you he’s being truthful, but I know how bad he wants to play,” Campbell said. “He’s been through a lot, played through a lot and I appreciate that about him, but I do want to make sure he’s definitely ready to go, and I do think it’s trending that way.”

If Goff can’t go, the Lions would likely go back to Tim Boyle, who made his first NFL start last week against the Browns. Boyle threw two interceptions on just 23 pass attempts, as the Lions managed to score just 10 points in a loss in Cleveland. Despite a tough showing in his first start, Campbell was optimistic that Boyle would show improvement this week if the Lions need him.

“If Tim does (play), Tim’s going to be better than he was today,” Campbell said on Sunday. “And if he plays the third week, he’ll be better than he was the second week.”

Meanwhile, Bears head coach Matt Nagy confirmed that veteran Andy Dalton will start on Thursday, ruling out rookie quarterback Justin Fields, who suffered a rib injury on Sunday.