The Detroit Lions remain a top-2 team in just about every power ranking out there, but several analysts appear concerned about Jared Goff.
The Detroit Lions moved to 8-1 on the season with a remarkable 26-23 comeback victory over the Houston Texans.
For many, the takeaway from the game was that the Lions can win in just about any environment and any scenario. They played one of their worst offensive games through three quarters—highlighted by Jared Goff throwing five interceptions—yet they were never truly out of the game thanks to a physical defense and a strong-willed offense.
Others—particularly on a national level—expressed concerns about Goff. Ever since things went south with the Los Angeles Rams, Goff hasn’t had the best reputation among national outlets, fair or unfair. And after a turnover-riddled performance, it seems like some of the thoughts—ones that have remained dormant during Goff’s dominant performance over the last couple years—have risen to the surface again.
After the game, both coach Dan Campbell and Goff himself defended the performance.
“For me, I’m not going to tell him anything because I don’t feel like this is, ‘Oh, man, what are you doing?’” Campbell said. “These weren’t ill-advised throws. It wasn’t our day.”
“I honestly didn’t feel like I was playing all that bad, and I was seeing things well. I was throwing it well,” Goff said after the game. “I had some unfortunate things there early, but I’ve been through a whole lot worse than that.”
Detroit remains a top-two team in every one of the power rankings we look at each week, but several writers expressed concerns about Goff’s game. Take a look:
MMQB: 1 (Last week: 1)
I think this exercise is going to perpetually drive Chiefs fans insane when in real life we should be incredibly kind to Kansas City given the power they have to fix games at the NFL level. But seriously, if Patrick Mahomes threw five INTs, the Chiefs would have lost to the Broncos by 35. The Lions won this one and, after halftime, showcased just how good this coaching staff has been at making adjustments.
The Ringer: 1 (Last week: 1)
This win speaks to the advantages Detroit has in talent and coaching each week, because they were able to effectively take it out of Goff’s hands late and get better control over the game. Goff’s play this season makes me nervous about their Super Bowl chances, but they’ve built the right kind of team to win games even when he struggles.
Yahoo Sports: 1 (Last week: 2)
For all the praise of the Lions’ comeback win, they do need to figure out how Jared Goff went off the rails on Sunday night and more than doubled his interception total for the season. It shouldn’t be a problem. But the Lions can’t let it become one either.
The Athletic: 2 (Last week: 1)
This (QB confidence ranking of seven) could be a nine, but there’s always a concern with Jared Goff that something bad is lurking around the next corner. For instance, a five-interception game like he had Sunday night against the Texans. That’s more than he had in the first eight games of the season. The other knock on Goff is his offensive coordinator and teammates make it easy on him. His air yards per attempt (6.9) rank 29th in the league. Still, his EPA per dropback (.16) ranks eighth in the league and can’t be dismissed.
Sporting News: 2 (Last week: 2)
The Lions proved, like the Chiefs, that they also can win games on special teams, defense, and the running game when their passing game is off. They remain the NFC’s team to beat for that reason.
CBS Sports: 2 (Last week: 2)
Winning the way they did on Sunday night against the Texans is proof of just how tough this team can be. They rallied in a big way, which shows their Dan Campbell grit.
The 33rd team: 2 (Last week: 2)
A sign of a good team is if you can still win despite everything going wrong. That was certainly the case for the Detroit Lions in Week 10, with Jared Goff throwing five interceptions in the first three quarters.
Yet, they pulled off the win in Houston against the Texans. The Lions’ defense has been legit all season, and it will soon add Za’Darius Smith to the unit. The Chiefs and the Lions are clearly the league’s top two teams, and it’s going to take a lot for them to move out of these spots going forward.
USA Today: 2 (Last week: 2)
Add resilience to their DNA after they notched their first win under HC Dan Campbell after trailing by double digits at halftime … while becoming the first team in 12 years to prevail despite its quarterback serving up five INTs.
Still to come:
NFL.com: TBD (Last week: 1)
From Eric Edholm:
