Jared Goff needs only 128 passing yards Sunday night to move past Joe Montana on the NFL’s all-time regular-season list. His chance comes against a Carolina Panthers defense missing both starting cornerbacks.The Detroit Lions quarterback enters Week 4 with 40,424 career passing yards, according to Lions On SI’s John Maakaron. Montana finished his career with 40,551, leaving one of football’s biggest names directly ahead of Goff at No. 24.
How close is Jared Goff to passing Joe Montana on the NFL career passing list?
The math is simple. Goff sits 127 yards behind Montana, meaning 128 yards against Carolina would move him into 24th place.For Goff, the name attached to the milestone matters.The former No. 1 overall pick grew up in California as a San Francisco 49ers fan. Montana led the 49ers to four Super Bowl championships and became one of the defining quarterbacks of his era.When reporters asked Goff this week about potentially passing Montana, he immediately acknowledged that connection.“Yeah, that’s awesome. I think you play long enough, you start getting into those volume numbers like that and very cool. Yeah, absolutely something cool moment. And like you said, grew up in the Bay and Joe’s obviously the man there and that’s awesome.”Goff has reached this point through 11 NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and Lions. He also enters Sunday’s game after another productive outing.The quarterback completed 25 of 32 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns in Detroit’s 31-24 win over the New York Jets in Week 3. Through three games, Goff has yet to throw an interception.Durability has helped him steadily climb the career list. Goff has missed only three games since joining Detroit, with all three absences coming in 2021.He told reporters that remaining available is something he takes seriously.“Yeah. I do take a lot of pride in that, being on the field,” said Goff. “And I take a lot less of a beating than all these other guys out there. And for them to fight and be on the field, I owe them the same thing for me to make sure my body’s ready. I do a lot of work in the offseason and take care of myself the right way, eat the right things.“You can only do so much. There are things that happen, but I do try to put my best foot forward every day and every offseason.”Now, the next name within reach happens to be Montana.
Why could the Panthers’ injured secondary give Jared Goff his opening Sunday night?
Goff will get his shot against a Carolina secondary suddenly short on established options.The Associated Press reported that the Panthers placed starting cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson on injured reserve Wednesday. Horn is dealing with a quadriceps injury, while Jackson has a groin injury. Both are expected to miss about eight weeks.Carolina is expected to turn to Akayleb Evans and rookie Will Lee III. Evans has made 15 career starts, although only two have come since 2024. Lee is preparing for his first NFL start.Athlon Sports reported that the injuries left Carolina with only three healthy cornerbacks on its 53-man roster.That matters against a Lions offense that has scored exactly 31 points in all three games this season.Still, Carolina has already shown it can overcome major personnel losses. Last November, the Panthers faced Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams without three defensive starters, including Horn. Carolina forced Stafford into three turnovers and won 31-28.Panthers coach Dave Canales is again putting the responsibility on the replacements.“People say next man up, and that’s really what it is,” Canales said. “I go to the excitement for the opportunity for the guys that are going to play. These opportunities are few and far between, and so … when guys have a chance to come in and contribute to the team, it changes them. It energizes them.”Detroit enters Sunday at 2-1, while Carolina is 1-2. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.Goff does not need a career night to rewrite one line of the NFL record book. One hundred twenty-eight yards puts him ahead of Joe Montana.
