By LARRY LAGE | AP Sports Writer
DETROIT — Jared Goff threw a perfect game, setting an NFL record by completing all 18 of his passes to help the Detroit Lions beat the Seattle Seahawks, 42-29, on Monday night.
“I just gave the game ball to somebody else, so I feel awful,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “I knew he played a heck of a game. I did not know he was perfect.”
Kurt Warner had the previous league mark for the passes without an incompletion, going 10 for 10 for Arizona against Houston in 2005.
“It’s a cool thing,” Goff said. “I’m just happy we got the win.”
Goff did throw an incomplete pass, but it was negated by a penalty.
“I was like, does that count?” he recalled wondering.
Goff also had a touchdown reception for the first time in his career, catching a pass from Amon-Ra St. Brown, and threw one of his two touchdown passes to the All-Pro receiver. Goff and St. Brown (USC, Mater Dei High) are the eighth duo in league history to throw and catch a touchdown from each other.
St. Brown lobbed a 7-yard pass to Goff on a trick play in the 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 to set a personal record that lasted a little more than 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 one more time from his end zone and he was sacked for a safety with 2:01 remaining, cutting their lead to 13 points.
The Seahawks (3-1) simply could not overcome an injury-depleted defense that could not stop Detroit on the ground or through the air.
“It shows we aren’t the team we want to be,” Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said.
Macdonald went for it on fourth-and-4 from the Detroit 39 early in the fourth and receiver Tyler Lockett negated a first down with pass interference, getting called for running a pick play that freed up Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a catch.
“They said he picked the guy, but I think we all saw he never made contact with him,” Smith said.
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 left when Goff a high pass to St. Brown, who leaped for the catch and got both feet in 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 7-plus minutes off the clock in the first quarter, and had 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.
“Even when we were down 14, we knew we had a chance to come back,” Smith said.
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 a career-high three touchdowns rushing.
Seahawks: Defensive back Julian Love left the game with a thigh injury, another blow for a defense without banged-up defensive ends Uchenna Nwosu and Leonard Williams along with linebacker Jerome Baker.
Lions: Defensive back Brian Branch was inactive with an illness, taking a key player out of the secondary, and Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow was out with a pectoral muscle.
The Seahawks host the New York Giants on Sunday night.
The Lions get a bye week, then play at Dallas on Oct. 13.
