Tim Boyle lined up to make second straight start for the Detroit Lions

With Jared Goff looking certain to miss a second straight game, the Detroit Lions are lined up to turn to Tim Boyle again on Sunday against the Seahawks.

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff missed a Week 16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons due to being on the reserve/COVID-19 list. He was activated off the list on Monday, but the whole thing made it easy to forget about a knee injury that took him out of the Week 15 win over the Arizona Cardinals for a snap.

Goff did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday as he deals with that knee issue. During his Friday press conference, Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell said it all about his starting quarterback’s status for Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.

Tim Boyle lined up for second straight start

Tim Boyle has made two starts in Goff’s place this season, the first two starts of his NFL career. The first, Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns, was rough (15-for-23 for 77 yards, two interceptions) as he had only recently started to practice coming off an injury from late in the preseason. Last week against the Falcons was better (24-for-34 for 187 yards, one touchdown, one interception), and Boyle talked earlier this week about the difference.

“I felt like I saw the field really well,” Boyle said Wednesday. “I felt like I was making quick, almost at times too quick, decisions. It didn’t hurt me, but there were opportunities if I were a little bit more patient……In my opinion, I think the fact that I’m working through it and I’m getting through my reads and my progressions is definitely a step up from when I was doing it in Cleveland. But, I’ll continue to get better at that as well.”

Seattle has the NFL’s 31st-ranked pass defense this season (270.9 yards allowed per game), and they are generally toward the bottom in statistics related to pass defense or putting heat on quarterbacks. So while he may not light up the stat sheet, Boyle shouldn’t struggle too much against the Seahawks.