The 2023 Detroit Lions have completed an incredible season. MLive will distribute reviews to each position group on the team during the course of the following two weeks. Quarterback today.
QUARTERBACK
Jared Goff is the starter.
Teddy Bridgewater and Hendon Hooker as backups
Important statistics: Finished with a QB rating of 97.3 (seventh) and averaged 7.6 yards per attempt (seventh); threw a pick on 1.7% of his passes (ninth best); while kept clean in the pocket, Goff had 28 touchdowns, just three picks, and a QB rating of 116.1 (second); while under duress, Goff had six touchdowns, nine picks, and a passer rating of 61.0 (18th); added another 837 passing yards (119 yards more than anyone else) while completing 69.4% of his passes in the playoffs.
Kyle received an A-.
Breakdown: Brad Holmes has hit one home run after another since taking over in Detroit. You can’t go from 0-10-1 to the NFC Championship game in just over two years without doing a lot of things well. From Penei Sewell and Aidan Hutchinson at the top of the draft to Amon-Ra St. Brown on Day 3, Josh Reynolds on waivers, Alex Anzalone on a contract close to minimum, and Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta, All-Rookies with a seventh overall pick… You understand, after all. Quite good stuff.
But out of all the amazing things Brad Holmes did in Detroit, his first is still the greatest.
The greatest quarterback in team history made a standing trade request to Holmes when he took over in Detroit. That presents a formidable task for any newly appointed general manager. However, Holmes made Matthew Stafford into Jameson Williams, Josh Paschal, Sam LaPorta, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Ifeatu Melifonwu, and Brodric Martin—all very good players. Additionally, he granted Los Angeles’ request for a trade because he thought Jared Goff’s career with the Rams could be salvaged. Three years later, Goff is dominating the football field more than ever. He even outplayed Stafford during the Lions’ first postseason victory in thirty-two years, all as the fans cheered his name.
The next week, after Goff led the Lions to another playoff victory, shouts of “JA-RED GOFF” started to appear everywhere in the state, from high school cheer contests to minor league hockey games to the grocery store.
In Los Angeles, Stafford received his ring. Well done, sir.
However, it’s difficult to see how that move might benefit Goff and Detroit more.
After Dan Campbell and Ben Johnson took over the offense in the second half of the 2021 season, Goff started playing well right away. He was selected to the Pro Bowl the previous season and declined to play in the all-star game this past season. Leading the league’s second-best passing attack, he recorded his greatest completion percentage (67.3) and was ranked among the top ten quarterbacks in all key categories. With Amon-Ra St. Brown (selected first-team All-Pro) and Sam LaPorta (who had one of the best rookie seasons ever by a tight end), he was particularly skilled at timing routes.
Yes, we understand that Goff is not a playmaker on the same level as Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson. He never was and never will be. In addition, he lost four fumbles and threw five interceptions in a challenging four-game span in November and December. In those games, Detroit had a 2-2 record. The man isn’t flawless.
However, Goff keeps demonstrating that he can throw the ball just about anybody, given a clear pocket and an opponent, time and time again. For crying out loud, he saved the Cal Golden Bears, and in his second season as a full-time starter, he led the Rams to the Super Bowl. The guy has triumphed. In addition, he started winning in Detroit in just three years, faster than nearly everyone before him.
Goff led the Lions to a 3-1 victory in the fourth quarter with nine touchdown passes and just two interceptions. (And that one loss happened in a contentious way in Dallas.) Subsequently, he played flawless football and was unstoppable during the biggest games to ever take place in Detroit, throwing three touchdowns on the way to the conference championship game. He continues to lead all players in throwing yards during the playoffs with 837, and he leads by over 100 yards. Furthermore, Goff performed admirably that evening even though the Lions gave away a 17-point lead to San Francisco, ending their season just one game shy of the Super Bowl.
Holmes remarked, “I always had belief when he came to us.” We are therefore not surprised by what he accomplished last year or even the year before. I simply understand his wiring. I am aware of his skill, his leadership, his mental and physical tenacity, and his qualities; I believe that his teammates and peers also acknowledge these qualities. I’m therefore pleased with what he accomplished and incredibly proud of all that he has accomplished.
Now let’s get serious. With his stellar play in Detroit, Jared Goff has allayed any questions about his status as the starting quarterback. He will begin his contract season in 2024, but he has shown a desire to stay for the long run, and the Lions have the resources and desire to support him in that endeavor. An extension that may cost as much as $50 million a year seems inevitable at this point.
