3 Key Lions Crack List of NFL’s Top 100 MVP’s From 2022 Season

Jared Goff

Getty Jared Goff hugs Amon-Ra St. Brown after a 2023 win.

The Detroit Lions enjoyed one of the better seasons in their recent memory lately, and it was due in large part to their players.

The league’s youngest roster found a way to step up and battle hard most of the year, and it led to the team having an impressive 9-8 finish to the season and lots of momentum.

Typically, the Lions aren’t a team that has many players seen to be on the upper crust of NFL circles, but this season was finally different for the team with regards to this.

ESPN analyst Seth Walder recently took a look at picking out the 100 most valuable players in the NFL this past season based on who produced the best metrics. Perhaps surprisingly, the Lions had three players land on the list.

First was quarterback Jared Goff, who cracked the list at 15th overall. As Walder wrote, Goff’s work came without tons of help on the roster offensively in plenty of ways.

“Goff finished the season fifth in QBR and led an offense that ranked third in EPA per dropback, only behind the Chiefs and Bills. And he did it without a lot of help from teammates. His offensive line was average in pass protection, and while Amon-Ra St. Brown was very good, the Lions’ receiving group wasn’t particularly impressive as a whole,” Walder said within the piece.

From there, the Lions landed wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown on the list at 43rd overall. No explanation was given from Walder about why St. Brown was in that spot, but the wideout did have 1,166 yards and six touchdowns, which prove his overwhelming value to the Lions.

Finally, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson rounded out the group, and he placed 80th overall in the league in terms of of valuable players this year. As Walder wrote, Hutchinson made a huge impact on the field in terms of actual production.

“On one hand, Hutchinson’s play-to-play level impact took a while to get going, as his pass rush win rate was just 12% at edge, below average for the position. But the production? You can’t argue against it. Not just the 9.5 sacks, but the three interceptions as well. As a result, he generated minus-21.1 EPA as a nearest defender, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, an absurd number for a defensive lineman,” he wrote within.

To land three players seen as the most valuable for the team is pretty incredible for the Lions considering they have struggled in a big way with having consistent difference makers lately. It seems that is going to change moving forward for the team in the future.


Goff Enjoyed MVP-Level Season With Lions

In terms of what Goff has done this season on the field, the Lions have not had reason to be disappointed with their quarterback statistically and otherwise.

Most of the year, Goff played to a team MVP level for the Lions, and was able to distribute the ball well for his roster. It isn’t a surprise to see Goff high on this list, because he was

This year, Goff put up a very solid 29 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. Goff has also thrown for a quality 4,438 yards and has been an excellent game manager for the Lions. He’s avoided the big mistakes for the most part as these stats prove, and been a player who has looked very comfortable within the team’s offense.

Detroit could keep Goff around given what he has been able to do in leading a resurgent Lions offense most of the year. He had some inconsistent games early in the season such as when he threw for just 137 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in a 15-9 win over Green Bay, but games like that have been the exception for most of the year.

As the numbers and the play prove, Goff has been pretty good for the Lions. He is one of the most valuable players in the entire league for his work this year as this piece explains.


Hutchinson Dominant During Rookie Season

With regards to Hutchinson, there is no question at all that he was an MVP for the Lions this season, and it’s downright impressive to see a rookie make the impact that he was able to make on the field.

From start to finish, the rookie defensive lineman managed to take over games for Detroit. His debut three sack game in Week 2 was just the beginning of where things would trend for Hutchinson. He would go on to finish with 9.5 sacks on the season and 52 total tackles.

More impressive than that, though, were Hutchinson’s three interceptions on the year. He even intercepted Aaron Rodgers on fourth-and-goal in the second quarter of Detroit’s eventual 15-9 win in November.

Hutchinson’s work qualifies him for the Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Whether he wins it or not, the Lions have to be thrilled with what he brought to the mix. Along with the others, it’s clear he was one of the top players in the league.

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