Halftime analysis: Jared Goff is cooking his old team, but Lions defense struggling

DETROIT — Matthew Stafford dominated headlines all week.

Now the man he was traded for is dominating Los Angeles.

Jared Goff has opened the playoffs by playing some of his best football in Detroit, completing 15 of his first 16 passes while leading the Lions to three straight touchdown drives and a 21-17 halftime lead against the Rams in a wild-card game at Ford Field.

This place is juiced like never before, with celebrities strewn throughout the crowd and players dancing on the field. The noise is deafening.

In the middle of the maelstrom, Goff has been airtight against the team that gave up on him three years ago. He was dealt to Detroit in the Matthew Stafford trade, along with a boatload of draft capital, including two first-rounders. Los Angeles really, really didn’t want him anymore — and now Goff is playing spirited football against his old team.

“Obviously there’s a personal connection (to L.A.),” Goff said this week. “But I so badly want to win a game for this city and win a playoff game for this city that hasn’t had one in so long. We’ve got a home playoff game for the first time in so long, and that’s so much more important than anything. Personally, for me, I want to be a part of this win and do my job the best of my ability.”

Goff has done that so far, and has been at his best targeting Josh Reynolds, another former Ram who was cut before eventually making his way to Detroit. He kicked this one off by catching a 33-yard pass during a clinical first drive, and has five catches for 80 yards at the break.

David Montgomery finished off that first drive with a punishing 1-yard touchdown run up the middle, while his peanut-butter-and-jelly-mate Jahmyr Gibbs added a 10-yard scoring dash later in the first quarter. That gave Detroit a 14-3 lead, and brought the house to his feet.

Head coach Dan Campbell continued to coach unafraid in the second quarter, going for it on fourth-and-1 from the Rams’ 2-yard line. Goff found rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, playing just one week after hyperextending his knee in the regular-season finale, for a third straight touchdown to open the game.

Detroit’s offense — and Goff in particular — is playing some of its best ball in the biggest moment, but the Lions have been unable to pull away due to missed opportunities by their defense. They allowed a conversion on third-and-15 in the first quarter, and Stafford made them pay four plays later with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Puca Nacua. On their following series, the Lions failed to get off the field on fourth-and-5 — right in front of an incensed Aaron Glenn — and Stafford connected with Tutu Atwell on the very next play for a 38-yard TD strike.

The Lions pressured Stafford into an errant throw on third-and-goal to open the game, forcing a field goal. Otherwise, the former Lions quarterback has kept apace with Goff, completing 12 of 16 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns.

Nacua, the record-breaking rookie receiver, has carved up Detroit’s secondary for 106 yards on five catches.

This was always the worry. The Lions have a balanced, electric offense that can score on anyone. But they’ve been at their weakest on the defensive perimeter this season, while the Rams have Stafford and two excellent wideouts. Would the defense be able to hold up and generate enough stops to stay ahead of the chains?

So far, they’re ahead.

But the Rams are getting the ball first in the second half, and if they can’t take advantage of their opportunities to get off the field, this spectacular season could be headed for uncertainty.