To put it simply, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff is not good enough to beat the lackluster roster at his disposal.
The winless 0-7 Detroit Lions will face a 2-5 Philadelphia Eagles club in a must-do situation as the bottom of the NFC East are behind with three teams all 2-5 pursuing the 5-1 Dallas Cowboys.
In the run-up to last week’s duel with the Los Angeles Rams, Goff had been heavily criticized for his efforts the week before at home against the Cincinnati Bengals. The fact is, putting Goff in David Blough for an even worse option would not solve anything.
I don’t like Blough, but let’s get this, he’s not an NFL quarterback. As much as Goff struggled during the 2021 season, it’s foolish to think of Blough as an upgrade.
Blough will be used in case Goff gets injured and if he can endure a different type of game like the Bengals, Blough can get off the bench with relief, but in all likelihood Goff would return to below the middle the following week.
Goff did 66% of his passes, Blough did 54.3% of his passes in six competitions, and that was players like Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola and TJ Hockenson, not that group of castaways who are currently on the team.
We openly criticize Goff for reviewing football far too often. Goff averages 6.5 yards per attempt in 2021, nearly a full meter below his career average, and people want to take Blough, who averaged 5.6 yards per attempt throughout his career.
I also find it funny that we (myself included) bark openly about Goff’s unwillingness to throw the football on the field, but shine about how well D’Andre Swift does as he leads all of the NFL running backs in receiving.
Swift benefits from Goff’s check-downs, and we love it, but I know it’s not just the check-downs; it is when the check down takes place. The Detroit Lions are famous for throwing down a route five yards from the line to win third place.
Since losing their top receiver Tyrell Williams in the first week and Quintez Cephus for the season, Swift has led the Lions with 391 yards, followed by Hockenson with 359 and Raymond with 334.
Jared Goff isn’t the long-term answer for the Detroit Lions, but he’s not going anywhere.
First, the Detroit Lions owe Goff a whopping $ 31 million in 2022 with a dead cap of $ 30.5 million. Goff will be the quarterback who will be the quarterback for the remainder of this season and next season as the organization searches for their next franchise signal caller.
After the 2022 season, the Detroit Lions Goff can cut or swap what will cost them $ 10 million in ’23 and $ 5 million in dead-cap money in ’24.
The problem in Detroit isn’t just their quarterback play; the offense is extremely compromised by a lack of talent. Goff relies on Caliph Raymond, TJ Hockenson and D’Andre Swift in the passing game with no real alternative options. Rookie pass catcher Amon-Ra St. Brown hasn’t become a reliable third option yet; this is not a blow to the youngster; I feel like he needs more time to grow as a professional.
So far in 2021, the Detroit Lions rank 28th on the Scoring Offensive, 24th on the Overall Offensive, 22nd on the Rush Offensive, and 17th. It’s awful, but it’s not nearly as bad as it is it seems, and when you look at the list it seems almost incredible that they are not the last in all categories except for the hasty offensive. We knew Detroit would be a solid rushing team as the season started with Swift and Jamaal Williams under the control of offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn.
The Detroit Lions are expected to land one of the first three draft picks, but there is one big problem. After consecutive years of many talented signal callers entering the NFL Draft, there does not seem to be a “safe bet” at the position prior to the 2022 NFL Draft. Top quarterback prospects Spencer Rattler and Sam Howell didn’t live up to the hype.
The Detroit Lions would be better placed to consider a quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft if Ohio state CJ Stroud leads the class.
Instead, if the Detroit Lions get the first overall pick, they will pick Oregon’s Star-Pass-Rushing-Defensive End, Kayvon Thibodeaux.
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