We're back with your latest update as to why Louis Riddick believes in the Lions. The ESPN analyst and former front office exec for both Philadelphia and Washington has been banging the drum for Detroit since the end of last season.
A month ago, Riddick projected the Lions to reach the NFC championship game this season. Now he's calling them legitimate 'Super Bowl contenders.' And it all starts with Jared Goff, who re-asserted himself last season as a top-10 quarterback in the NFL after being jettisoned by Sean McVay and the Rams in 2021.
While some around the NFL are doubting whether Goff can repeat last year's performance, Riddick says "it’s ridiculous to think that what Jared Goff did last year was just an anomaly and that he’s still just the LA Rams version of Jared Goff that Sean McVay thought he needed to upgrade with Matthew Stafford."
Especially with Lions OC Ben Johnson returning, there's no reason that Goff can't at least match what he did last season, when he finished seventh in the NFL in passer rating, and perhaps even exceed it. The Lions have upgraded their backfield with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, added a playmaker at tight end in second-round pick Sam LaPorta and deepened an already elite offensive line.
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"This is a guy who was fifth in the NFL in adjusted QBR, second in QBR in the fourth quarter, second in QBR inside the pocket, a guy whose touchdown-to-interception ratio was special (first in the NFL), and all they did this year was improve the offensive line and improve his running back weaponry," Riddick said on ESPN's Get Up. "He’s going to have a tremendous season. This is why I think the Detroit Lions are going to be Super Bowl contenders."
The Detroit Lions? Super Bowl contenders?
Why not?
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