How Jared Goff made the case for his MVP title during the Lions' dominant season

DETROIT – About 10 months after the city of Detroit rallied around Jared Goff during the Lions' all-time playoff run, you can still hear the chants.

At his workplace – Ford Field. At Red Wings, Pistons and Tigers games. Even on Sundays in enemy territory, if you listen closely and when the Lions are winning, you can recognize the chants.

YES-RED GOFF. YES-RED GOFF. YES-RED GOFF.

The admiration this fan base has for their quarterback is obvious. And to be clear: Goff has earned the love. He has led this franchise to quarterback success not seen in a generation and he has masterminded one of the league's best offenses. And if Goff and these Detroit Lions stay on their current path, Lions fans may be chanting something different before all is said and done.

MVP.

“He’s playing at a high level,” Dan Campbell said earlier this week. “He’s a damn good quarterback. He's competitive, he's tough and he's very accurate. When it comes time, the guy's heart rate just levels off. He doesn't let himself get carried away and plays great games for us. I'm glad he's with us. I’m glad he’s ours.”

Go deeper

NFC North roundtable: Division predictions, possible trade deadline deals and more

If the thought of Goff being in the MVP race seems strange to you, ask yourself why that is, and then why not Goff? He's the quarterback of one of the league's best teams – a prerequisite for winning the award these days – and runs one of its most potent offenses. His stats suggest a quarterback playing at his best while helping a Super Bowl contender win their games. He's been on a roll lately. Last month, he set an NFL record for most pass attempts without an incompletion, going a perfect 18 of 18 in a win over the Seattle Seahawks.

He then went 18 of 25 for 315 yards and three touchdowns in a 47-9 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Against the Vikings, Goff completed 22 of 25 attempts for 280 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the fourth quarterback in NFL history to post a passer rating of 140.0 or higher in three straight games. He joined Tom Brady as the only players in NFL history to post a 72.0 percent completion rate, throw two touchdowns and post a 110.0 passer rating in four consecutive games in a single season. Through four games, Goff is the only player in history to complete 80 percent of his passes and post a passer rating of 140.0 or better.

This season, Goff has thrown for 1,610 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions, with a passer rating of 111.5. He was one of the best and most efficient quarterbacks in the league this season, leading a 5-1 Lions team. Here is Goff's ranking among QBs this season:

• 1st in yards per attempt (9.25)
• 2nd place in passer rating (111.5)
• Second in completion rate (73.6)
• 2nd in passing yards per game (268.3)
• 3rd in first down percentage (41.4)
• 4th in yards per completion (12.6)
• 4th place in EPA/DB (0.22)

And yet some might scoff at Goff's place in the conversation. His success tends to depend on the presence of those around him, and his weaknesses tend to be discussed more often than his strengths. It's worth touching on as we try to contextualize the quarterback Goff is today.

One of the narratives that has followed Goff throughout most of his career is that he becomes unhinged and collapses when put under pressure. It started in LA with the Rams and has since followed him to Detroit. But how accurate is this narrative in 2024? The numbers suggest Goff has performed well above average under pressure and blitzes.

This season, Goff has the NFL's fifth-highest EPA per dropback under pressure, according to TruMedia. He also has the fifth-highest passing rating under pressure (95.4). Against the Lightning, Goff's EPA per dropback of 0.63 is second best in the NFL. His best performance this season – and perhaps his career – could have come last Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

According to Next Gen Stats, Goff was under pressure with a season-high 51.7 percent of his dropbacks against the Vikings. Knowing the narrative out there, playing on the road against a 5-0 team, that wouldn't bode well for an earlier version of Goff. However, Goff finished 10 of 11 for 164 yards and two touchdowns on those dropbacks. Under pressure, he is averaging a league-best 11.6 yards per attempt this season. According to PFF, Goff finished 15 of 16 for 165 yards and a touchdown in the blitz game against Minnesota. He also passes the eye test.

The version we see of Goff these days is a more mature, fully realized quarterback in an offense he helped create. He's surrounded by the best offensive line in the league and, in most cases, keeps him upright. He has a number of talented pass catchers to rely on in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, Tim Patrick, Jahmyr Gibbs and others. This offense includes a high play-action rate (36 percent with Goff at QB, second highest in the NFL, according to TruMedia), which is one of Goff's strengths. His pre- and post-snap reads have increased tremendously since his time as a Ram, with the Lions relying more on him during games and in the days leading up to them. And this season his mastery of everything has reached a level we've never seen before.

Amon-Ra St. Brown said he was excited to be a part of Jared Goff's outstanding season. (Joe Rondone/Imagn Images)

“He was locked up,” St. Brown said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him play this well statistically in the last three or four games. Shoot, I'm glad I'm there to catch his balls. …I'm happy to be part of history, so to speak. He’s playing at a super high level and I’m sure he’ll continue like that in the future.”

The other narrative that may keep some from considering Goff as an MVP candidate is the coordinator he plays for. In LA, Goff's success was tied to head coach Sean McVay. In Detroit, it's often attributed to Ben Johnson – one of the NFL's best offensive minds.

What the Lions have in Johnson is rare in the NFL. These days, offensive coordinators enter the revolving door of a team's facility and leave just as quickly. The successful ones become head coaches. The unsuccessful ones have to look for new jobs. There aren't many who work in the industry Johnson is in – sought after, but still content.

He consistently positions his players and gives them answers to the test, so to speak. And while the Lions have scored plenty this season, it's the behind-the-scenes study between Johnson and Goff that leads to that success on game day. The collaboration process never ends. It's as strong as you'll find in the NFL.

Goff and Johnson have worked together for parts of four seasons now. After the 2021 season, these two went to work developing an offense that would blend their backgrounds. With each passing year they were able to build on these early installations and add more wrinkles, layers and trick plays to the operation. Watching other Lions quarterbacks try to run this offense in training camp gives you a sense of the complexity and how important timing and rhythm are to making it work. They now have meaningful continuity not often seen in a quarterback and coordinator. That's why, through seven weeks, the offense ranks second in yards per game (411.8), second in offensive success rate (47.8 percent) and third in points per game (30.3 percent). ).

Go deeper

Analyzing the Impact of 4 NFL Trade Proposals

The fact that Goff is running it at such a high level shouldn't be a disadvantage. His success is Johnson's success and vice versa.

“We're together now, this is our third year, and so we already agree on a lot of things,” Goff said Wednesday. “…We communicate constantly and just stay on the same page. I ask him a lot of questions, I ask him seemingly stupid questions, but he never takes them as such. He answers them well and I try to make sure I know the intent of every play and that we’re all on the same page.”

“IIt is our Attack,“ Johnson emphasized Thursday when asked about Goff's fit in the system. “…FRome day 1 It is was – he has been involved with it, It is was a collaborative effort with him and the rest of the coaching staff And I find he is took on a lot of personal responsibility. We Make a big deal every week, why every play is on, what the Premier looks like when we not Get this look What We have to deal with football and then I think it's also the weapons that surround us right now Really Only – they are open up the whole field.

“We have that make some big, over-the-top plays And boys have retreated, And So Jared's I was very good at staying consistent when they reach depth, let us Check it out and then the guys underneath are explosive runners chasing the catch. …Sohe just stayed TRUE to what the piece demands and we have was able to find open receivers and It is has been a good thing so far. None of us are surprised. …Tis his Really what we expected at the beginning of the year.”

It may not seem like it, but in Detroit Goff has everything he needs to stay in the MVP discussion all season long. We have years of data that suggest Goff will put up numbers in this offense. He is currently playing the best football of his life and is well prepared at all levels. He has continuity in his coaching staff. He is in 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade and has many of the weapons at his disposal. And it doesn't look like the Lions are going anywhere.

That's not to say Goff is or should be the MVP front-runner. He will face stiff competition from the usual suspects – Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, etc. – and will need to maintain his level of play throughout the season.

But what do we see from him now? It's enough to get you in the door.

Just don't expect Goff to care either way.

“Usually those are the guys from the best teams in the league,” Goff said of being included in the MVP conversation. “And a whole lot of people on this team could be in the conversation. “We're just going to try to keep winning games.”

(Top photo: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)