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Lions QB Jared Goff 'highly unlikely' to play vs. Falcons due to COVID-19

It looks like Tim Boyle will be leading the charge in Atlanta on Sunday.

Boyle is expected to start for the Detroit Lions for their game against the Falcons this week after starting quarterback Jared Goff tested positive for COVID-19.

Though there was hope that Goff would be able to return in time, head coach Dan Campbell said Friday that likely won’t be possible.

"I would say highly unlikely with where we're at right now," Campbell said, via ESPN. "He didn't clear [protocols] this morning, so I would say it's looking doubtful."

Goff tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday morning, just one day after he led the Lions to a shocking 30-12 upset win over the Arizona Cardinals. Goff went 21-of-26 for 216 yards and threw three touchdowns in the win — which marked just their second of the season.

Though he said he’s been feeling OK this week, he did experience mild symptoms early on — which is what prompted him to go get tested.

"I'm feeling good. It's pretty much a mild cold. I'm feeling fine," Goff said on 97.1 The Ticket on Tuesday, via ESPN. "I had some symptoms pop up really Sunday night after the game. Monday morning, I said, 'You know what? I might as well make sure this is good to go,' and sure enough, I was positive."

Tim Boyle to make second career start

With Goff almost certainly sidelined, the Lions will turn to Boyle for just the second time in his career.

Boyle started for the Lions in November after Goff suffered an oblique injury, but things didn’t go well. They fell to the Cleveland Browns while he threw for just 77 yards with two interceptions.

Boyle went undrafted in 2018, and spent the past three seasons with the Green Bay Packers before signing a one-year deal with Detroit before the season.

Though he knows things are stacked against them — they’re listed as +6 point underdogs on BetMGM — Boyle insists he isn’t bothered by it or his past game as a starter.

"I want to win," Boyle said, via ESPN. "If I throw for 77 yards again and we win, I don't really care. I know that's kind of, 'Does he actually mean that?' I mean, yeah. I'm fighting for my first win, as well as our third win, as a starter if I were to be the starter."

Tim Boyle of the Detroit Lions
It looks like Tim Boyle will make his second career start on Sunday in Atlanta. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)