The Detroit Lions are pushing toward the 2022 season, and come next week, Jared Goff will be at full controls for the team’s new offense.
Given what happened in the preseason, that’s great news for the Lions, who want to forget about what was behind Goff and look forward to the future. With that in mind, a great new projection has been made for Goff’s season.
ESPN recently took a look at predicting potential surprises for every team this year. When it came to the Lions, Dan Graziano went all-in on the quarterback position for the team.
As Graziano wrote, he predicts that Goff will surpass his career highs in touchdown passes and yards in his career. As he admitted, that doesn’t mean he is picking the team to make the playoffs, but he knows the team is optimistic about Goff.
“I’m saying the Lions feel very, very good about how Goff has looked in camp, and he may be better set up for statistical success than you think he is,” Graziano wrote succinctly in the piece.
If Goff has that kind of season, the Lions may well find themselves in the playoff race or winning games. While Graziano admits he is not predicting those things to happen, it stands to reason that the Lions would be firmly in the hunt if Goff is having an elite statistical year.
In 2018, Goff threw for 4,688 yards and 32 scores in Los Angeles. If he surpasses that, it would be a monster total, indeed.
New Offense, Weapons Suit Goff Well
The Lions worked hard this offseason to give Goff the kind of room he can depend on for the future, and that might be the biggest reason he has success this year.
Not only did the Lions add weapons like DJ Chark and Jameson Williams from outside the facility, they kept players like Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond, both of whom proved they could be a big part of the mix in 2021. Better than that, the team has a solid offensive line and playmakers at running back to rely on as well.
Offensively, the team also promoted Ben Johnson, who has empowered Goff and given the Lions a breath of fresh air with his work. Add it up and it could mean Goff is set up for some sneaky statistical success with the team.
Goff’s Solid 2021 Finish Lends to Optimism
If the team’s offense is going to look like it did down the stretch of 2021, that’s good news for the Lions as much as it is Goff.
Regardless of any narratives, Detroit has a quarterback they can count on in Goff under center. In spite of all the early struggles and injury trouble late in the year, Goff found a way to finish the 2021 season strong. After Thanksgiving Day, Goff was on relative fire as statistics go at quarterback. He threw 11 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions while going off for 1,136 passing yards. Goff has also claimed elusive awards for a Lions quarterback such as NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors as well as FedEx Air Player of the Week award.
Perhaps the game that showed Lions fans the most was his impressive 3 touchdown performance against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15:
All of this cemented Goff’s future with the team. The Lions didn’t draft another quarterback, and while their backup situation remains in-flux, Goff has been given all the confidence in the world by the staff.
As a result, it could prove to be a huge season for Goff in Detroit. It might even be enough to surpass some of his former career high totals if everything goes right.
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Analyst Makes Surprise Prediction for Incredible Jared Goff Season