The Lions are heading into Lambeau Field on Sunday night with a lot of demons to exorcise.
Regardless of the result of Rams vs. Seahawks on Sunday afternoon, the Lions will, at the very least, be looking to play spoiler. Whether they're fighting for a playoff spot themselves or just trying to end the Packers' season, something will be on the line for them and their No. 1 quarterback, Jared Goff.
The Lions' all-time record at Lambeau Field has been well-documented, but that's in the past, if viewing 2022 in a vacuum. There's something else going against them in this game that should be massively concerning to fans: their inability to move the ball on the road.
The Lions are 5-4 at home and 3-4 on the road. Part of the difference is Goff playing at an MVP level at Ford Field while regressing massively on the road. In fact, the record belies just how good Detroit has been at home: The Lions averaged 33.1 points per game in Detroit vs. 19.3 points per game on the road.
It isn't just a quarterback thing, but Goff is the leader of the offense.
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Here's a look at Goff's splits and what could be causing the gap:
Jared Goff home-road splits
Goff's 2022 home stats are extremely impressive. His touchdown-to-interception ratio was 23:3 and he completed 65.8 percent of his passes.
He has been highly pedestrian on the road. He has just six touchdowns to four interceptions, and he has thrown for over 700 fewer yards.
| Split | W-L | Comp/Att | Comp Pct | Yds | TDs | INTs | Rating |
| Home | 5-4 | 210/319 | 65.8 | 2472 | 23 | 3 | 109.3 |
| Away | 3-4 | 149/234 | 63.7 | 1,742 | 6 | 4 | 87.6 |
The most stark difference is in touchdowns. Goff threw a touchdown every 14 attempts at home and has thrown a TD every 39 attempts on the road.
The question is: What is causing that gap?
Jared Goff indoor-outdoor splits
Goff's indoor-outdoor splits are the first things people want to address when talking about home vs. away stats. Is it possible he's just an indoor QB?
| Stadium type | W-L | Comp/Att | Comp pct | Yds | TDs | INTs | Rating |
| Indoor | 5-5 | 235/360 | 65.3 | 2,749 | 24 | 4 | 105.9 |
| Outdoor | 3-2 | 103/167 | 61.6 | 1,237 | 5 | 1 | 91.8 |
| Retractable | 0-1 | 21/26 | 80.8 | 228 | 0 | 2 | 71.2 |
That lone retractable-roof game was against the Cowboys, with Detroit losing 24-6. But clearly, based on the numbers, indoor-outdoor isn't solely the issue. Despite the drop in completion percentage, Goff is still throwing the ball well in the elements.
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Jared Goff in colder temperatures
The temperature Sunday night at Lambeau Field is expected to be about 25 degrees Fahrenheit, but there isn't expected to be much snow. That means the ground of the Frozen Tundra will likely be hard.
This will be one of the coldest games Goff plays all year. Here's how he has fared in sub-40 degree weather this season:
| Date | Opponent | Temp | Result | Comp/Att | Yds | TDs | INTs | Rating |
| Nov. 13 | Bears | 34 | W, 31-30 | 19/26 | 236 | 1 | 0 | 113.6 |
| Nov. 20 | Giants | 37 | W, 31-18 | 17/26 | 165 | 0 | 0 | 83.0 |
| Dec. 18 | Jets | 38 | W, 20-17 | 23/38 | 252 | 1 | 0 | 88.9 |
| Dec. 24 | Panthers | 19 | L, 23-37 | 25/42 | 355 | 3 | 0 | 110.7 |
Cold-weather Goff sometimes is asked to do less (Bears, Giants), but the reality is Goff has protected the ball better in the second half of the season.
In fact, in the coldest game the Lions have played this season, 19 degrees in Charlotte, N.C., Goff was one of the few Lions who showed up, throwing for his second-highest yardage total of the season.
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Where's the real difference?
The difference in touchdowns between home and road is the biggest concern with Goff; the Lions' scoring ability — specifically, their ability to score in the red zone — is hindered away from Detroit. The Lions have scored touchdowns on 81 percent of their red-zone trips at home vs. 50 percent on the road. That's the true issue: They struggle in a condensed field on the road. Amon-Ra St. Brown, a budding star receiver, has yet to score a touchdown on the road this season. He has six at home.
Goff will have to defy those deficits to win Sunday night. But he doesn't have to reinvent his game.
A story of outliers
The reality is, Goff's season shouldn't be defined by home vs. away, but rather by first half of the season vs. the second half of the season.
The Lions' first three road games came against the Vikings, Patriots and Cowboys, which did irreparable damage to their road splits. In those three games, Goff went 65 of 102 (64 percent) for 774 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions (all four of his road interceptions this year).
That's over a third of the Lions' road games torn asunder by being a worse team than they are now and playing teams that were flat out better at the time.
Since that disastrous start, the Lions are 3-1 on the road, although it hasn't always been pretty.
The Lions will try to leverage that recent record into a win Sunday night, and Goff will try to shed his reputation, perhaps unfairly earned, of being just a home, indoor QB.
