The numbers are starting to add up for Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff, and not in a good way.
In his last 10 regular season games, he’s committed 14 turnovers. The Lions are 6-4 in those games.
In the previous 19 games, to end 2022 and begin 2023, Goff had just seven turnovers. The Lions’ record: 15-4.
Is this an aberration or a trend? It’s a reasonable question given how Rams’ coach Sean McVay grew tired of Goff’s mistakes before unceremoniously dealing him to the Lions in the Matthew Stafford trade.
In fairness to Goff, he was turnover free in three postseason games last season, making several clutch throws in the process. And those were literally the biggest games the Lions have played in 67 years.
Like the Rams, the Lions responded to Goff performing well by giving him an expensive contract extension.
But they will certainly have buyer’s remorse if their $50 million per year man continues to play more like 50 Cent.
Opening this season with three interceptions and just one touchdown pass against injury-depleted defenses is alarming. To go just one of seven in the scoring last Sunday vs. Tampa Bay is horrendous.
The notion the Lions would go into Sunday’s game at Arizona with Kyler Murray having the QB edge was unthinkable only a few weeks ago.
Murray has been the NFL’s best QB the first two weeks, according to pff.com, while Goff is 30th, ahead of only rookies Caleb Williams and Bo Nix, and recently benched second-year disappointment Bryce Young.
The Lions’ offensive woes aren’t all on Goff. He is a terrific QB when given just a bit of extra time and a strong running game, but he has little ability to improvise. The Lions’ vaunted offensive line has not lived up to its reputation. It’s also clear opposing defenses have caught on to coordinator Ben Johnson’s scheme, squeezing the middle of the field and daring the Lions to work the sidelines. When was the last time you remember Goff making fade or back shoulder throws? It’s as if those patterns aren’t even in Johnson’s playbook.
It’s opened some things, particularly for Jameson Williams, who developed nicely.
Yet, the Lions’ desperately need a tall wideout, and in retrospect it was a mistake to not re-sign Goff’s favorite get-out-of-trouble card, Josh Reynolds. Those two had a special chemistry together.
Perhaps it was unreasonable to expect Goff to play at such a high level for much longer. Those were definitely 19 special games that turned around the course of the franchise, and the playoff wins were electrifying.
But Goff isn’t getting paid for what he’s done, but what he is supposedly going to do.
So far this season, it’s not enough. And if he doesn’t play better, neither will the Lions.