After the Lions had put up 45 points and over 500 yards of offense only to lose last Sunday to the Seahawks, Jared Goff stood next to Ben Johnson on the sideline. The quarterback and the offensive coordinator stared into the distance as the final seconds ticked off the clock, lamenting their mistakes, wondering if they could have done more on a day they had already done so much.
"Sorry, buddy," Johnson said to Goff, as captured by NFL Films.
"No, I’m sorry," said Goff, who had thrown a pick six on the first play of the second half in what would become a three-point loss.
Goff stared at the ground for a few seconds, then lifted his head and said, "God, we fight though, man."
"Gotta do more than just fight," said Johnson.
I know," said Goff. "I know."
Goff and Johnson grew close last season after Johnson was elevated to passing game coordinator and helped spark Detroit's offense and its former Pro Bowl quarterback. They tightened their bond in the offseason when they pored over film of Goff's best years with the Rams in an effort to maximize his talent with the Lions. In training camp this summer, the 36-year-old Johnson said one of his top priorities was to help Goff, 27, "have the best season of his career."
They're off to one hell of a start. Through four games, Goff is tied for the NFL lead in passing touchdowns (11) with former MVP's Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, ranks third in yards per game (281.5) and seventh in passer rating (99.9). He has thrown more touchdowns in four games than he threw in his first 10 games last season. If not for the Lions' porous defense, Goff would have a legitimate MVP case entering October. He is the leader of the best offense in the NFL.
"We’ve been doing some good stuff offensively, but we don't have much to feel great about right now except the Washington win," Goff said Wednesday. "And there’s a lot of room to grow offensively. I feel comfortable, but at the same time, I’ve made a couple of costly mistakes that I’d like to fix and get better from.”
Goff also threw a pick-six in Week 1 against the Eagles, which also made the difference in a three-point loss. His only other interception came on a Hail Mary late in the Lions' Week 3 loss to the Vikings after his team had collapsed down the stretch. Otherwise, Goff has looked a lot like the quarterback who starred for the Rams and once took the team to the Super Bowl, a precise play-action passer thriving behind a stout offensive line. Under the direction of a sharp offensive mind.
"We have a great relationship," Johnson said Thursday. "I feel like we both challenge each other on a daily basis. He brings ideas to me, I bring things to him that maybe are outside of his comfort zone and we’ve both been very receptive to come into an agreement. And once again, going into the game I think he feels really good about everything that we’re calling right now.”
Earlier this season, Goff said his constant communication with Johnson has "allowed me to play with confidence." That's exactly what he was lacking toward the end of his tenure with the Rams, after he had lost the faith of Sean McVay. He said he feels more comfortable in this offense than he's ever felt in his career, in part because he has so much ownership of it. When he brings an idea to Johnson, "He knows that it’s probably something I’m going to make work," said Goff.
"And that’s always what you want to be able to do as a quarterback," he said.
Goff can be better, no doubt. Ignoring the NFL's worst defense, his mistakes have cost the Lions a couple wins. They should be 3-1, but they are 1-3, and "We are as good as your record says you are," said Goff. They haven't been good enough.
That shouldn't obscure that Goff has been terrific. We'll see if he can sustain it, and if so, we'll see what it means for his future in Detroit. In his make-or-break year with the Lions, Goff is making things interesting. With a loaded quarterback class looming in next year's draft, he is raising the question of whether the Lions should even take one. He is proving to his doubters, and even to some of his supporters in the building, that he can still thrive in the NFL. He's just not proving it to himself.
"I don’t think I’ve ever needed to prove it," said Goff. "I always kind of knew it and have been in some good situations, and Ben's done a great job getting me ready to play."
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