San Francisco has the early advantage over Detroit in Q rating.
If you know nothing else about the 2023 San Francisco 49ers, you probably know they are a team of stars.
They have a star running back in Christian McCaffrey, the league's leading rusher. They have a star tight end in George Kittle, and a star wide receiver in Deebo Samuel, and if you really wanted to stretch that definition you could call quarterback Brock Purdy a budding star as well.
And then there are the 49ers' NFC championship opponents, the Detroit Lions. While one of the most compelling sports stories of the young calendar year, the Lions lack the name recognition of San Francisco—which Detroit quarterback Jared Goff found out the hard way in a media availability Wednesday.
Reporter: You guys have a lot of stars ...
— kyle meinke (@kmeinke) January 24, 2024
Jared Goff: "Thank you."
Reporter: ... but maybe not as big of stars as they do ...
Goff: "All right, never mind."
"You guys have a lot of stars,” a reporter began. When Goff interrupted to thank them, the reporter continued, "But maybe not as big of stars as [the 49ers] do"—much to Goff's disappointment.
Goff has three Pro Bowl appearances to his name, which suggests competence and perhaps even adjacency to stardom. If he wants to join the NFL's constellation, however, a win over the 49ers—and a few more product endorsements—is a good place to start.
