With kickoff closing in on the Lions‘ Thanksgiving matchup with the Bears, a lot of attention has been paid to the situation under center for Detroit. The club’s preferred starter, Jared Goff, has been battling an oblique injury, which left his status for this game up in the air, especially after missing last week’s matchup against the Browns on Sunday. However, the Lions activated Goff for Thursday’s showdown with the Bears and he will start.
Things had been trending in this direction as Goff practiced all week in a limited fashion and was officially listed as questionable earlier on Wednesday. Head coach Dan Campbell even noted on Tuesday that he was leaning toward starting Goff after he showed promising signs to begin the week.
“He’s tough,” Campbell said Tuesday of Goff, admitting that he had trepidation about rushing him back because of that toughness. “Honestly, that’s part of my concern because I know how tough he is and he tells you he’s being truthful, but I know how bad he wants to play. He’s been through a lot — played through a lot. 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.”
In Goff’s absence, Tim Boyle got the start for Detroit and didn’t put together an awe-inspiring performance against the Browns. He completed 15 of his 23 passes for just 77 yards and two interceptions in the loss that dropped the Lions to 0-9-1 on the season.
On the opposing sideline, the Bears will be rolling out veteran backup Andy Dalton as rookie phenom Justin Fields has been ruled out due to a rib injury he suffered in Week 11.
