Jared Goff threw a perfect game and set an NFL record by completing all 18 passes to help the Detroit Lions beat the Seattle Seahawks 42-29 on Monday night.
“I just gave the game ball to someone else, so I feel terrible,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “I knew he had a great game. I didn’t know he was perfect.”
Kurt Warner had the previous league passing mark without an incompletion, going 10 for 10 for Arizona against Houston in 2005.
Goff also had a touchdown reception for the first time in his career, catching a pass from Amon-Ra St. Brown and throwing one of his two touchdown passes to the All-Pro receiver. Goff and St. Brown are the eighth duo in league history to throw and catch a touchdown from each other.
St. Brown threw a 7-yard pass to Goff on a trick play in the third quarter and caught an 8-yard touchdown from the quarterback in the fourth.
Goff, who threw for 292 yards, completed his first 14 passes in Detroit’s previous win at Arizona, setting a personal record that lasted just over a week. He also threw a pass over the middle to Jameson Williams, who ran away from the Seahawks for a 70-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
The Lions (3-1) asked Goff to throw from his end zone again and he was sacked for a safety with 2:01 remaining, cutting their lead to 13 points.
The Seahawks (3-1) simply couldn’t overcome an injury-depleted defense that couldn’t stop Detroit on the ground or through the air.
Seattle coach Mike Macdonald went for it on fourth-and-4 from the Detroit 39 early in the fourth and receiver Tyler Lockett ignored a first down with pass interference and was called for running a pick play that freed up Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a catch. .
Macdonald went for it again on fourth-and-goal from the Detroit 3 with 2:09 to go and Geno Smith threw a fourth straight incompletion.
The Lions took advantage and went ahead by 15 points with 5:23 to go when Goff made a high pass to St. Brown, who jumped in front of the catch and got both feet into the end zone.
Jahmyr Gibbs ran for two touchdowns in the second quarter and finished with 78 yards rushing. David Montgomery started the scoring barrage with a 1-yard touchdown run, capping a 10-play, 93-yard drive that took more than seven minutes off the clock in the first quarter and was 80 yards from scrimmage.
Smith was 38 of 56 for 395 yards with a 9-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end AJ Barner in the third quarter on a drive he extended with a sneak on fourth down. He threw an interception in the end zone to Kerby Joseph with a minute left, sealing Seattle’s first setback this season.
DK Metcalf had seven catches for 104 yards and a costly fumble at the Detroit 37 in the first quarter.
Kenneth Walker, who gained 80 yards on 12 carries, had three career touchdowns.
Seahawks: DB Julian Love left the game with a thigh injury, another blow to a defense without banged-up DEs Uchenna Nwosu and Leonard Williams along with LB Jerome Baker.
Lions: DB Brian Branch was inactive due to an illness, removing a key player from the secondary, and Pro Bowl C Frank Ragnow was out with a pectoral muscle strain.
Seahawks: Host the New York Giants on Sunday night.
Lions: After a week off, they play in Dallas on October 13.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
