When the Detroit Lions agreed to a trade that would send Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams, many fans raved about the NFC West team and its playoff chances. Others made jokes about Jared Goff and his upcoming trip to Motor City while comparing him to Game of Thrones characters. They said that Goff was joining the Night’s Watch.
There were a few fans posting about Goff on Saturday night, saying that he will head to the frigid football city to look for White Walkers or residents of the North. Others photoshopped Goff’s head on Jon Snow’s body and said that his watch has begun. One Twitter user took the fun one step further and replaced Snow’s direwolf, Ghost, with the Detroit Lions logo. The comments continued as more fans responded to the surprising trade.
And now his watch begins pic.twitter.com/66eqirZ8D5
— Shayne Ackerman (@ShayneLisaa) January 31, 2021
“‘… and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory,'” one fan tweeted on Saturday. “Lions will let him have a wife&kids, and own land. We’re not monsters. But he def screwed on the crown and glory.”
While there were several fans making joking comments about Goff heading to Detroit, others said that the Game of Thrones references were a good thing. They declared that the now-former Rams QB will become “King of the North,” replacing Aaron Rodgers. They expect to see the Lions win the NFC North and host a playoff game for the first time since 1993.
Jokes aside, Goff responded to the trade with a very strong comment. He spoke to longtime sports reporter Michael Silver and said, “I’m just excited to be somewhere that I know wants me and appreciates me.”
Goff does have experience in the playoffs that fans are looking for. He previously reached the Wild Card round in 2017 but lost to the Atlanta Falcons. The Rams returned to the postseason the following year and reached Super Bowl LIII in controversial fashion due to a missed pass interference penalty in the NFC Championship. Goff and the Rams offense struggled mightily against the Patriots, only scoring three points.
The Rams reached the playoffs once more in Goff’s tenure, defeating the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round. Goff did not start the game due to a thumb injury but was pressed into action after John Wolford suffered an injury of his own. The former No. 1 overall pick started in the Divisional game against the Packers, losing 32-18.
