Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff reacts to Taylor Swift name-dropping him
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff was asked Thursday, Aug. 14, about Taylor Swift name-dropping him in a recent “New Heights” podcast episode.
The Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins held their second and final day of a joint practice.
The joint practice, held at the Lions training facility in Allen Park on Thursday, Aug. 14, produced some interesting developments for a suffocating Lions defense and improving Lions offense .
Thursday’s session had a similar vibe as Wednesday’s practice, with Lions fans on hand to watch the proceedings from three separate covered stands.
This practice came two days before the Lions and Dolphins face off for a preseason game at Ford Field, kicking off at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 16.
Here were our observations from Thursday’s practice.
Pop megastar Taylor Swift mentioned Lions quarterback Jared Goff in a recent episode of the New Heights podcast with boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother, ex-NFLer Jason Kelce, showing her initial understanding of American football was a little lacking:
“I thought it was like, Jared Goff is here, and Josh Allen’s here. They’re gonna be like, they blow a whistle, and they go at each other, and they’re like errr, who’s gonna win?”
Goff was asked about the callout after practice, and he kept his response brief:
“Very cool, I guess,” he said. “Crazy couple of hours last night for me and my phone.”
The Lions do not play the Buffalo Bills this year, so if we’re going to get a game with Jared Goff on one side and Josh Allen on the other, it will have to be in the Super Bowl.
Lions’ fans are almost certainly sure to be happy with that outcome.
It’s not just Detroit football luminaries in attendance at the joint practice Thursday.
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was spotted exiting the field during Thursday’s joint practice against the Dolphins, in a moment of support across Detroit pro franchises.
The Lions defense finished out their end of a practice drill with full-contact reps against the Dolphins’ offense. And though the defense allowed two touchdowns to Tagovailoa, one defender stood out.
Safety Brian Branch landed two big hits on Dolphins’ receivers, one limiting a pass to a short-yardage gain on the sideline. The 23-year-old played in 16 games for the Lions in 2024 while recording 109 tackles and making his first Pro Bowl.
On a play-action pass, Lions’ receiver Jameson Williams zoomed past his defender and caught a deep pass down the middle of the field for a touchdown, inducing the biggest cheer of the day from the Lions fans in attendance.
In a full-contact drill with the Dolphins’ offense, Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson recorded a “sack” against Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Hutchinson was a key part of the Lions’ defense early in the 2024 season, leading the team with 7.5 sacks despite only playing in five games. He has so far looked much like his old self in his return to action.
During a full-contact drill, Lions’ offensive tackle Dan Skipper had Dolphins’ linebacker K.J. Britt pinned to the ground too long for the Dolphins’ liking, and both teams gathered to hash it out with a quick shoving match.
The gathering was broken up quickly and the drill resumed, but the hot tempers flared much like they did at the end of Wednesday’s practice
Dolphins’ starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went 5-for-7 in a red zone 7-on-7 drill against the Lions defense, threading the needle on multiple touchdown passes, including one to star receiver Jaylen Waddle.
Lions linebacker Jack Campbell looked impressive in the drill, at one point knocking down one of Tagovailoa’s passes heading towards the back of the end zone. But the Lions’ secondary was also flagged for pass interference on at least one play.
The legends keep showing up.
Hall-of-Fame running back Barry Sanders was seen on the sidelines before practice on Thursday speaking with Lions coordinator David Shaw.
Shaw coached Sanders’ son Barry Sanders Jr. at Stanford from 2013-15, where the running back played in 33 games before transferring to Oklahoma St. for the 2016 season.
Lions coach Dan Campbell spent much of his pre-practice press conference praising the performances he saw during Wednesday’s joint practice with the Miami Dolphins.
He especially highlighted two big players on the offensive line: veteran Taylor Decker and rookie Tate Ratledge.
“It’s great to have Decker back,” Campbell said, as Decker has spent much of the offseason on the PUP list after undergoing shoulder surgery in the spring. “He looks pretty good, and it just makes us run that much better.”
Campbell then went out of his way to knock the podium and give Ratledge his praises, without prompt:
“Tate Ratledge looked like a starting NFL guard yesterday,” he said. “He and Penei (Sewell) were working at a high level in some of these combination blocks, and he just looked like the game slowed down for him a little bit yesterday.”
Overall, Campbell gave a glowing assesment of his team’s offensive performance.
“We were on point, and then our fundamentals showed up,” he said. “There was clear communication where we were all going, protection-wise, the run game … we were cliking pretty good. And that’s what we expect.”
During a pre-practice press conference, Campbell said that starting cornerback Terrion Arnold, who missed practice on Wednesday, will be slowly worked into drills and team reps on Thursday.
Arnold pulled his hamstring during the team’s intersquad scrimmage on July 29 and hasn’t practiced since.
Campbell also said that tight end Sam LaPorta will not practice on Thursday after suffering an undisclosed injury on Wednesday, but that LaPorta’s condition is “not major.” According to Campbell, a few players suffered cramps during Wednesday’s practice, with heat and humidity bearing down on the practice fields.
When is the next Lions preseason game?
The Lions will be facing the Dolphins in their third preseason game on Saturday, Aug. 16, at Ford Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
Date: Saturday, Aug. 16.
Time: 1 p.m. ET.
Location: Ford Field, Detroit.
How to watch Lions vs. Dolphins preseason game
After two joint practices this week, the Lions will take on the Dolphins in a preseason game at Ford Field on Saturday, Aug. 16.
Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET.
TV: Fox 2.
Streaming: Fubo.
Radio: WXYT-FM 97.1.
The Lions preseason games will be broadcasted on Fox 2, with streaming available on Fubo.
Watch Detroit Lions preseason on Fubo
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com