Getty Jared Goff throwing before a Lions game in 2022.
At 1-4, nobody could accuse the Detroit Lions of being the NFL’s biggest contenders early in the 2022 season.
Detroit has plenty of work to do to rescue their potentially cratering season when they come back off the bye week, but at the very least, there have been a few positives for the team.
While the defense has been terrible, a pair of rookies are making their mark early on. In terms of the offense, that side of the ball has been off to a roaring start, even as they stalled in Week 5.
No matter if that was the case, the group continues to impress those on the inside of the game. Insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano put together an Insider piece for ESPN where they discussed some of the top improvements they have witnessed so far.
According to Fowler, he thinks the Detroit offense represents the biggest turnaround story in the league given the stats they are producing so far. This will leave them as a dangerous team in the second-half of the season.
“The Lions’ attack was unwatchable at times last year on the way to a 25th-ranked finish (19.1 points per game). Quarterback Jared Goff raved about offensive coordinator Ben Johnson in the preseason, praising his organization and playcall sequencing. That has shown up in a big way in the passing and running attack. Not sure how many more games Detroit will win, but the Lions will be a threat each week,” Fowler predicts in the piece.
Win or lose, the Lions have been a big threat already plenty this season, and based on their offense’s ability to explode, could run into a few more wins along the way the rest of 2022.
No matter the record, the Lions’ offense has impressed all those who have been watching, which is significant for the team as well as their future.
Lions Offense Surging to Start 2022 Season
In terms of the stats, the Lions have enjoyed a big start to the season, and continue to pile up the solid statistics.
Thus far, though five weeks, Detroit has the third-ranked offense, putting up a 411 yards per-game average. Detroit’s passing offense ranks a solid sixth in the NFL, with 260.4 passing yards a game. The Lions have also scored an impressive 11 touchdowns through the air.
On the ground, the Lions have been more than just respectable to start the season. The Detroit rushing attack racks up 151 yards per-game on the ground to go with seven touchdowns. Given the usual struggles through the years of the team running the ball, this is a huge turnaround.
The Lions weren’t consistent in Week 5, but so far, that was a wild departure from the norm. As they get healthy off the bye week, the team could be expected to once again show how dangerous they are in 2022.
Goff’s Play Pacing Lions’ Hot Start
Perhaps the biggest reason for the team’s resurgence? The quarterback. There’s been few more impressive at quarterback so far this season than Goff, even if he hasn’t gotten a lot of the love reserved for those other names.
Thus far, Goff has been a passing maniac, putting up a solid 1,355 yards and 11 touchdowns to just four interceptions so far. His quarterback rating sits at 92.9 as well. Here’s a look at what he did on the field in Week 4:
Goff has been a big reason the Lions offense has been so explosive. His ability to confidently distribute the ball has gone a long way for the team, and he has played with relative control outside a few mistakes.
Goff knows he will have to clean up those mistakes to help the Lions offense continue to thrive. No matter that, though, the team remains one of the most dangerous comeback stories in the league.
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