Just last offseason, the Detroit Lions had legitimate reasons to hope that a Super Bowl run could come in their 2024 campaign. They were fresh off a narrow 34-31 NFC championship game defeat against the San Francisco 49ers,

Quarterback Jared Goff was far from his best in the 45-31 defeat—completing just 57.5% of his passes and turning the ball over four times (3 INT, 1 FUM). Despite his struggles, his teammates defended their quarterback with vigor after the game:

“The pick-six especially I’d love to have that one back,” Goff said. “That was a poor decision by me. The other turnovers are sometimes part of the game. But at the end of the day, it’s on me. I’ve got to take care of the ball better.”