In the Lions’ 9-16 loss Sunday night to the Eagles, there was a clear contributor to Detroit’s poor offensive showing. Jared Goff completed 14 passes out of 37 attempts, threw for 255 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, and had a quarterback rating of 9.5. Jared Goff looked like his old self back in Los Angeles when Sean McVay got rid of him and sent him to Detroit. Was this game just a 1 time tragedy, or is this a sign of Goff’s downfall?
One major reason for Goff’s horrible performance was the pressure from Philly’s defense. He was pressured 20 times and got 7 hits. Even in the pocket under no duress, Goff still missed open receivers for some big gains or touchdowns, which could have completely changed the outcome of this one-score game.
Although lots of Lions fans are definitely upset with Goff, we still need to realize that Goff has been one of the best quarterbacks this season, besides Sunday night. He has 2,490 passing yards, 7th in the league. Has 21 touchdowns, 2nd in the league, and has thrown 4 interceptions. While he does show up in some games, he does have a problem with consistency this season from game to game, which has been the largest problem for this Lions team as they’re 6-4, having lost 3 of the last 5 games.
This Lions offense is stacked, with an elite receiving core of Amon-Ra St.Brown and Jameson Williams. They also have the best running back duo in the NFL with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Sam LaPorta has also been one of the best tight ends in the league since he got drafted by the Lions in 2023, but LaPorta being put on IR will hurt the Lions’ offense until he returns in a minimum of 3 weeks. While Jared Goff has been good, he’s honestly the biggest speed bump for this team. His inability to scramble and escape sacks lets teams blitz him more often because they know it will be an automatic sack half the time.
This team’s current Super Bowl window is not going to last much longer. If I were in the shoes of Detroit’s General Manager Brad Holmes, drafting a quarterback this year would be a round 2-4 priority. We don’t need a quarterback ready to start, but one who can learn under Goff the next few years, as his $212 million contract with Detroit lasts until 2028. Some options at quarterback for the Lions to target this draft could be Jayden Maiava out of USC, Garret Nussmeier out of LSU, or John Mateer out of Oklahoma, who are all projected to be day 2 or 3 picks in the 2026 draft.
While 31-year-old Jared Goff is likely not leaving our starting lineup anytime soon, it would still be smart to draft for our future and have a quarterback learn under Goff. Many starting quarterbacks in this league have spent time on the sideline before starting, such as Jordan Love, Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and Jalen Hurts. Even Goff wasn’t the starter as soon as he was drafted. I can see Goff leading our team to the playoffs over the next few years, but I’m not incredibly confident that he is capable of winning us a Super Bowl.
