Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Jared Goff is an anomaly. While players can improve from year to year, we rarely see a player go through major hills and valleys. Players may steadily get better or fall off a cliff late in their careers, but to have a career with undulations throughout is rare. As Goff steps into the 2023 season, he is looking to do what no Lions quarterback has ever done; win the NFC North and make a deep playoff run.
Jared Goff: Number One Overall Pick
The Rams had the 15th overall pick but gave up a massive haul to the Titans to trade up. They sent two first-round, two second-round, and two third-round picks. (It is worth noting that one of those picks became Derrick Henry). The rookie season could not have gone worse. Under Jeff Fisher‘s archaic offense, the Rams looked to have made one of the biggest mistakes in NFL history. He went 0-7 as a starter and threw only 5 touchdowns to 7 interceptions. The team fired Fisher and brought in Sean McVay. This changed Goff’s career.
Sean McVay Resurrects Goff
It was like night and day. McVay came in with his new offense and Goff immediately showed why he was a first overall pick. In the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Goff led one of the most prolific offenses in the league. 2018 was his banner year as he threw for over 4,500 yards and 32 touchdowns en route to a Super Bowl appearance. Back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances had Goff looking like one of the best young quarterbacks in the game. Then the struggles hit again.
Downhill Fast For Jared Goff
Things went downhill fast and kind of out of nowhere. In 2019-2020, Jared Goff still had a winning record with the team but drew heavy criticism for his play. Teams figured out how to make Goff uncomfortable and there seemed to be a cap on how effective he could be in pushing the ball down the field. 2020 saw a big dip in production as he didn’t throw for 4,000 yards and had a run-of-the-mill 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The team decided that their Super Bowl window was now but Goff was holding them back. They shipped Goff to Detroit for Matthew Stafford and won the Super Bowl the next year while Goff looked to be back to his rookie season ways.
First Season In Detroit
The Lions were in the midst of a rebuild and Goff came in at the low point. Detroit had a 3-10-1 record under Jared Goff that year and he had some of the lowest counting stats of his career. His 3,200 passing yards were the least of his career since he became a full-time starter and his mediocre 19 touchdowns to eight interceptions had the Rams looking like geniuses for getting rid of the quarterback. Then a glimmer of hope started showing at the beginning of last year.
First Half Of 2022
The Lions weren’t winning games but the offense under offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was putting up points. While the team started 1-6, Goff had a couple of four-touchdown games. He was still throwing about an interception a game but the team could live with it as the offense was able to put up a good amount of points. A big part of this was that the Lions had built one of the best offensive lines in the game. Goff rarely saw pressure and had plenty of time to survey the field and find the open man. The back half of 2022 saw Goff hit another level.
Offense Goes To Another Level
From week 10 on, Jared Goff did not throw an interception and tossed 15 touchdowns. The Lions started winning games and Goff became one of the top quarterbacks in the league statistically. Detroit almost snuck into the playoffs by beating the rival Packers in Lambeau Field. His season earned him Comeback Player of the Year honors as well as another Pro Bowl selection. The end of the 2022 season has fueled the hype train for the Lions going into 2023.
Super Bowl Contenders?
The Lions have become a sexy pick to make the Super Bowl in the NFC. With the conference being so weak, it is unfathomable that the Lions could make a run. There are questions about the wide receiver position but most are confident in Ben Johnson’s system. More questions come about the defense. Can this unit improve to a point where Jared Goff and the offense do not have to score on every drive? Second-year players Aidan Hutchinson and Kerby Joseph are looking to lead that unit to a better performance this year.
Jared Goff: A Career Roller Coaster Ride
What a ride for Goff. From biggest mistake in draft history to Super Bowl contending quarterback to cast off quarterback, and back to Super Bowl contender, Goff’s career has seen it all. This is exceedingly rare. Some quarterbacks will have a one-hit-wonder season and then regress but rarely do we see a player go up and down as much as Goff has. If he can win with the Lions, the trade with the Rams will go down as one of the best win-win trades of all time.
