Jared Goff made an elegant gesture to teammate Tim Patrick after the first TD of the season

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff connects with wide receiver Tim Patrick in the third quarter of Thursday night’s game against the Green Bay Packers.

It was a big touchdown for the lions, who put themselves ahead 24-21 with the score.

But it was also a big touchdown for Patrick personally. Patrick had yet to score a touchdown for the Lions, despite being a reliable third-down option all season for the Detroit passing attack.

In fact, it had been a full three years since Patrick scored an NFL touchdown as he dealt with a flurry of injuries over his final two seasons with the Denver Broncos before joining the Lions earlier this year.

Goff knew it had been a while for Patrick, and as Patrick left the ball on the ground in the end zone, Goff scooped it up, took it back to the sideline and threw it to him. It was a kind gesture from the QB that ensured his teammate kept the ball.

NFL fans loved Goff’s classy moves.

Goff had praised Patrick earlier this week.

“He’s as important as anybody,” Goff said of Patrick while speaking to reporters on Sunday. “He’s been great for that receiver room, great for me — constantly communicating, doing a lot of the dirty work that some guys wouldn’t do. It’s nice to have a guy like that, a reliable target for me, doing everything right.”

The connection between Goff and Patrick was on full display Thursday night.