Goff And the Detroit Lions: Playoff Caliber?

In week 5 against the Carolina Panthers, Jared Goff racked up 4 touchdowns with 236 yards. This is the most touchdowns he has scored in one game in his season thus far. Many people labeled the 28-year-old as the biggest bust since RG3 in his first few years with the Rams. However, this season he has been performing amazingly. His only loss was to the Seahawks in week 2, where he still dropped 323 yards with 3 touchdowns.

Franchise Quarterback or Bust?

8 years ago the Los Angeles Rams drafted Jared Goff as the No. 1 pick in the draft. They were hoping he could be the solution to their problems in the quarterback position. However, his arrival was underwhelming. This is because he was struggling within practice. To the extent that coach Jeff Fisher said “the No. 1 pick isn’t even good enough to be his backup right now”. This is a testament to how much of a bust Goff was however, some do argue that he still had mediocre stats for a rookie and he needed time to develop. The only issue is the rams had found their star running back Todd Gurley and they were hunting the possibilities of winning a super bowl. Many fans were disappointed by Goff and by the time he stepped up it went unnoticed.

I understand that fans were disappointed that their rookie didn’t perform as highly as they would have liked. This is due to the amount of interceptions he had thrown. In 69 games he had thrown 55 interceptions which is terrible. However, Jared Goff went on to play in the Pro Bowl in 17’ and 18’ with the rams. Therefore he may not have been the problem the fans were blaming their offensive struggles on. Although he might be, due to the large amounts of turnovers he gave up. He went on to be traded for Matthew Stafford, a fellow No. 1 pick as well, in 2021 where he would go on to be a pro bowl quarterback in 2022.

Time With the Lions

When Jared Goff was first acquired by the Detroit Lions, fans had assumed he would be a bridge quarterback until they could find someone right for the role. However, with the different style of offense, he was able to flourish into his role and lead the team. He finished among the top 5 quarterbacks in the league in 2021 and currently holds the 3rd highest number of consecutive passes without an interception at 383 pass attempts. The only people to top him were Aaron Rodgers with 402 and Tom Brady with 399. This is a significant improvement from his time with the Los Angeles Rams. Although he has been in the league for 8 years now, he is showing fans that he isn’t going anywhere, and he is ready to go.

This is a positive sign for Lions fans. Not only is it being recognized by them, but also across the league when he was announced as a pro bowl quarterback in 2022. This is interesting because most people multiple years prior thought he was a bust. This is due to his past of a large amount of interceptions in Los Angeles. He also tied another record last year for the Lions for Highest Single Season Passer Rating at 99.2%. He was tied with Matthew Stafford in 2017. This is interesting because it also shows that he has reached the status of a great first round pick as he was able to match somebody as talented as Stafford. If he truly is as good as Stafford, this trade made back in 2021 has solved Detroit’s quarterback problems for hopefully many years to come since Goff isn’t too young yet.

Lion’s Future for 23-24 Season

Goff has demonstrated the ability to lead this team to the playoffs, as seen in their recent game against the Carolina Panthers. His consistent performance in a sport known for injuries and fluctuations is promising. However, my only concern is injuries, particularly the absence of Amon-Ra St. Brown due to an abdomen issue. Goff will now rely more on Sam LaPorta and other receivers, which poses a significant challenge until St. Brown returns. This situation also tests Goff’s adaptability to throwing to different targets and building chemistry with them, potentially strengthening Detroit’s offense. Still, it’s a bit of a stretch, and they might face challenges. When St. Brown returns the I believe the Detroit Lions have the potential to be a Super Bowl contender.

Detroit is a quality team who has potential, and it is demonstrated through their record this season. They have gone 4-1 so far this season however they lost to the Seattle Seahawks week 2. This is also when Goff threw the interception to break up his record. This is interesting because the Seahawks are also 3-1 and they only lost to the Ram’s. Although they lost to the Seahawks it was a winnable game. I think it proves that The Lions are a reputable team with a loss to another good team. Therefore, I think they can possibly be a Superbowl caliber team even with the loss against Seattle because it was decided by an interception by Goff in the fourth quarter. Without that interception the game could have then been won by Detroit who was in the process of driving down the field.

Playoff Caliber?

I think the future for the Lions looks like it will be heading in a positive direction. This is thanks to the development of Jared Goff over the past few seasons. The team will probably be in a rough patch until St. Brown returns. Hopefully they can continue to rely on LaPorta like they did last week until the St. Brown is back. With a healthy roster the Detroit Lions are very much a playoff caliber team.