Jared Goff is quickly becoming a top tier player in the National Football League after leading the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl during his time in California and leading the Detroit Lions to the NFC Championship Game last season.
While Goff is being slept on heading into the season in favor of exciting young quarterback talents across the league, he has what it takes and is in the perfect situation to become the most successful quarterback in the NFC in 2024-2025.
Goff could have the best season of his career in Lions Coach Dan Campbell’s ‘Super Bowl or Bust’ system.
Here are five reasons why:
1. Familiarity-
Goff is now intimately familiar with offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s system. Johnson turned down offers to become a head coach elsewhere and will reprise his role with the Lions.
Johnson is one of the most intelligent, creative and gifted playcallers in the league. The fact that he turned down guaranteed, big money contracts to coach the Lions under Campbell shows that he knows the Lions have a chance to do special things this season with Goff at the helm of the team’s offensive engine.
2. Jameson Williams-
Goff has said that it is “fun” throwing to Williams in camp so far this offseason. Williams is a burner who runs precise deep routes and can glide beyond opposing secondaries with ease.
Expect Williams to have a big season. The injury bug is no longer a part of his problems and he doesn’t have suspensions or other distractions to deal with heading into what could be the most memorable Lions campaign in NFL history, or at least in the history of the Super Bowl era.
3. Sam LaPorta-
LaPorta set plenty of rookie records. The ex-Big Ten tight end is a smooth route runner who can turn short passes into big gains.
He came into the league as a physical, well built player who is mature beyond his years and he has the work ethic to become better.
Goff now knows LaPorta’s tendencies inside and outside which will only improve their partnership.
4. Offensive line-
Penei Sewell leads an offensive line that is gaining depth and experience with each passing year. The Lions got unexpected contributions from unexpected players last season, exemplified by big plays from veteran fan favorite Dan Skipper and other unheralded contributors.
Keep an eye on Giovvani Manu, the rookie out of British Columbia who is among the most athletic and powerful linemen in the NFL.
He doesn’t have the talent and the polish necessary to start but he could make life difficult on opposing teams as a super-sub for Coach Campbell and Coach Johnson’s team. Goff has plenty of troops in front of him to keep defenders off of him and that will make all the difference.
5. Running game-
David Montgomery and Jayhymr Gibbs are the Lions’ one-two punch on par with Michigan football’s title-winning duo of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, by NFL standards.
Gibbs is the home run threat and Montgomery is the hammer. In this case, Gibbs is on track to be the superstar while Montgomery is on track to be the supporting player, an opposite situation to Edwards and Corum with the Wolverines.
A strong running game only figures to get stronger as Gibbs is set to become arguably the NFL’s best running/catching threat.
Goff will benefit, allowing him to pick his spots in the pocket and throw accurately down the field to his bevy of weapons, en route to what could his best season ever in the National Football League (and perhaps a Super Bowl season at that).