Detroit Lions fans can be forgiven for taking some time to warm up to Jared Goff. After all, they had a beloved quarterback in Matthew Stafford pulled out from under them abruptly and had to adjust to some major changes for their team across the board.
Goff, however, has wasted little time endearing himself to fans in Detroit. After a rocky start to the season, the quarterback has come on strong in a big way down the stretch and has led the Lions to two improbable wins in the last three weeks. Amid an upset of the Arizona Cardinals, fans cheered Goff’s return to the field after a brief injury scare in the game.
While it might be meaningless to some, that’s actually very meaningful progress in a city that has long been described as a quarterback’s worst nightmare.
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Goff has had to deal with everything this season in Detroit. Not only did he replace a local legend in Stafford, but he did so in an obvious rebuilding year with a brand new coaching staff and an offense that was devoid of playmakers for the most part. Goff has also had to endure plenty of injuries around him to his top-flight offensive line in addition to Detroit’s defense in addition to a coordinator shift. None of that has helped matters.
Still, Goff has fought through for the Lions and is now in position where his status for the near future should no longer be in question. With a solid finish to the year, Goff has earned the right to return in 2022, especially seeing as Josh Reynolds and a healthier offensive like has offered a tantalizing taste of what the quarterback could potentially do for the team with a deeper roster at multiple positions.
After what’s gone on recently, it’s likely something the Lions have been paying attention to.
Goff Having Statistically Dominant Finish to 2021
In spite of all the struggles, Goff is finding a way to finish the 2021 season strong. Since Thanksgiving, Goff has been on relative fire as statistics go at quarterback. He’s thrown 9 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions while going off for 898 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 better than that, Goff is comparing with some of the elite quarterbacks in the league in terms of QBR. Over the last four weeks, Goff is neck and neck with some obvious NFL studs of the game as MLive.com’s Kyle Meinke pointed out with a Tweet:
Since coming back from the oblique injury 4 weeks ago, Jared Goff has 9 TDs, 2 picks and a passer rating of 105.1.
The complete list of starting QBs with a better rating than Goff in that stretch:
Aaron Rodgers (121.4)
Matthew Stafford (116.2)
Russell Wilson (108.8)
For a player who many have accused of lacking talent, these statistics show that Goff could have his best days in front of him as a passer and might offer the Lions a lot in 2022. That’s perhaps the biggest reason his future should now be secure.
Lions Best Path With Goff Still Involves Drafting Quarterback
So what should the Lions do with Goff long-term? While the quarterback still has his detractors in the fanbase, it doesn’t change the fact that he has been very solid for the team and has made his fair share of eye-opening plays down the stretch. As a result, there is no need for the Lions to open another gaping hole on the roster by letting Goff go an incurring a major financial hit as well. As a result, Detroit’s best plan for the future revolves around keeping Goff while searching for a young backup quarterback to learn behind him.
While Goff has had his struggles, the team’s biggest weakness remains in the fact that they have not drafted a competent young quarterback. Tim Boyle and David Blough aren’t igniting fear into opposing fanbases. Thus, the team should look to the drafts in 2022 or 2023 for young passer, with the Lions taking a very hard look at this year’s class with their second first-round pick and second-round selection in the draft. From there, the team can develop a quarterback and also have Goff on the roster.
Goff has proven he can be the guy to lead the Lions to wins in both the short and long term, which is why his future should now be very safe with the team.
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Jared Goff’s 2022 Future With Lions Should No Longer Be in Question