Detroit — Jared Goff wasn’t supposed to play in the Lions preseason opener. He’d performed well in practice, was feeling good, why risk it, right?
Then he heard the offensive line, the team’s unquestioned foundation, was starting intact. So Goff went to the head coach’s office and the conversation went something like this, according to Dan Campbell.
Goff: “I want to play.”
Campbell: “Well, you’re not playing.”
Goff: “Well, if they’re playing, I’m playing.’”
Campbell: “OK, you’re playing.”
And there, in that simple exchange, is the hope and the concern of this season. Everyone knows the impact and importance of the Lions’ offensive line, which could be a top-five unit in the league. They need the line to dominate so they can run the ball and make it easier for Goff to play-action pass. If they can do what they did the first drive against the Falcons on Friday night — 79 yards, 10 crisp plays, one rushing touchdown by D’Andre Swift — they have a chance to take a leap.
But Campbell’s initial reluctance to start Goff spotlighted the sobering flipside — the Lions must keep Goff healthy and upright, perhaps as much as any NFL team must protect its starting quarterback. This is the Lions’ unspoken risk, sticking with unproven backups Tim Boyle and David Blough and not taking a shot at a veteran player, or a late-round draft pick. It wasn’t a good quarterback class — Pitt’s Kenny Pickett was the lone first-rounder — so I’m not quibbling with GM Brad Holmes there.
But it does present a double jeopardy. The Lions need Goff to shine because they have no reasonable option, not until next year’s quarterback-heavy draft. And they especially need a good, healthy Goff because they don’t have a good defense, near as I can tell.
The first two possessions of the 27-23 preseason loss to the Falcons spoke the loudest. The Lions drove 79 yards effortlessly. Then the Falcons drove 82 yards effortlessly. Of course it’s early, but I feel comfortable saying the average score of a Lions game will be 38-34, which at least is better than the average 19-17 loss.
“We kind of just said if we’re going to sit someone, we might as well sit Goff,” Campbell said of the pregame discussion. “He found out and that is not what he wanted to do. And he had a conviction for not wanting to do it and I’m all for it — conviction.”
That’s how Goff and the offense must play, with inspired conviction. That means taking more chances downfield with an improved receiving corps, while also leaning heavily on their strength. From left to right, the line of Taylor Decker, Jonah Jackson, Frank Ragnow, Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Penei Sewell can help first-time coordinator Ben Johnson control the clock with the running game. It can buy Goff time, which buys the Lions time.
That’s why Goff didn’t want to waste a chance to get started.
“I didn’t want those guys out there without me,” Goff said of his line. “I think guys are just taking ownership of (the offense), up front they’re doing a hell of a job. I’m comfy, especially with those five guys up there.”
Goff only threw four passes, completing three. The longest was a 20-yarder to Amon-Ra St. Brown. The lone incompletion was a drop by running back Jamaal Williams on a checkdown after Goff had plenty of time to survey the field.
In Johnson’s play-calling debut, the plan was basic. Goff said his new coordinator was “cool, calm and collected, like we expected.”
Backups don’t stack up
The synergy between Johnson, Campbell and Goff has to be calm and collected, because Boyle and Blough are still taking turns showing something good, then something bad. Blough was third string but played like the second-stringer, completing 18 of 28 for 141 yards. He also scrambled for 22. He also lost a fumble at his own 33 with two minutes left, setting up Atlanta’s winning touchdown.
Boyle was more erratic, nine-for-16 for 111 yards. He lofted a 45-yarder to Kalif Raymond but also misfired badly on an interception deep in Lions territory. Campbell wasn’t interested in overreacting, but the turnovers grinded him.
“Both of them I thought made some really good plays,” Campbell said. “But then there’s a couple of these plays that leave a bitter taste in your mouth. … You do a lot of good things, but those will bite you. But look, I thought they ran the huddle well. I’m not displeased with those guys, at all.”
More: Lions stock report: Blough bests Boyle as backup QBs duel vs. Falcons
But no way can the Lions be overly pleased with their backup quarterback situation. Blough shows some potential to be a change-of-pace scrambler, an element more and more teams embrace. The Falcons drafted Desmond Ridder in the third round and he ran for a game-high 59 yards against the Lions, and threw the winning 21-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-9.
The Titans took Malik Willis in the third round and he rushed for 38 yards and a touchdown in their preseason opener. Pickett is making a run at the Steelers’ starting job.
No, the Lions didn’t make a big mistake bypassing those modestly intriguing prospects. But they could face tougher decisions next spring, with Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Alabama’s Bryce Young.
That’s why they need to learn more about Goff, who was very good his final five games last season. He’s still only 27, and they’ve stacked the line in front of him and added receiving weapons, including free agent DJ Chark. Goff never got comfortable with offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn, who was dismissed after the season.
Matter of trust
Tight end T.J. Hockenson has talked about the heightened tempo of Johnson’s offense, with fewer checkdowns and more “trying to sling it down the field.” It’s been noticeable in practice, but don’t expect to be wowed in the preseason games, with fewer snaps from the starters.
Campbell was asked what it meant that Goff wanted to start with his linemen, and they wanted to start with him.
“I think it’s about trust,” Campbell said. “He trusts them, I trust him, and I trust that O-line. And I trust Ben (Johnson) is going to put him in the right situation. We can be better with some of our tempo from that group, but at the end of day, they played pretty good together for the first time out.”
In the grand scheme, one preseason-opening drive means little. But in the Lions’ new scheme, confidence can grow with each nugget of success. Decker said the line appreciated Goff’s willingness (and essentially demand) to play. Just as important was the coaching staff’s willingness to listen. Communication lines are always open under Campbell.
“You know that your coach believes in you, you know that your teammates believe in you,” Decker said. “I thought the energy was really, really good as a whole team. I’ve been here for a little while now, there was a little swagger about us out there.”
It was only 10 solid plays by the first-team offense, and 12 shaky plays by the first-team defense. The upcoming test against the Colts in Indianapolis should be more telling for the offensive line. We’re still a long, long way from learning where the Lions are headed, but it’s pretty clear where they plan to start.
bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @bobwojnowski