The Detroit Lions are winning football games, and their quarterback is a big reason why.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff said Wednesday he feels like he is playing the best football of his life as the Lions have surged into playoff contention after a 1-6 start.
“I do, I feel like I am playing my best football of my career right now, starting to settle in a little bit,” Goff said. “I think (offensive coordinator) Ben (Johnson) and I have a good thing going. Still have a lot of work to do and we can always improve and look at ways to get better, but I am comfortable and hope to continue that through the season.”
Statistically, Goff, 28, put up better passing numbers the first seven games of the season than he has the past five weeks, but the Lions are 4-1 since the start of November and Goff has cut down dramatically on his turnovers.
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Goff is averaging 223.6 passing yards per game with seven touchdowns and one interception during the Lions’ hot streak. He averaged 272 yards passing with 12 touchdowns and nine turnovers in the season’s first seven games.
“Every week has been really a little bit different job description, believe it or not, what we’ve asked him to do, what we’ve needed him to do,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “But here’s the one consistent is, man, just make the right decisions, take care of the football and he’s done that. And that’s five weeks going now and that’s a big part of the reason why we’re winning. He’s making very smart decisions.”
Goff has not thrown an interception in 142 pass attempts dating to the third quarter of the Lions’ Week 9 win over the Green Bay Packers.
He’s enjoyed good luck during that time. He had one interception nullified by penalty against the Chicago Bears, and had would-be picks bounce off defenders’ hands each of the past two weeks.
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But Goff said he also has made a more concerted effort to protect the football.
“I think there’s been times in my career where you get unlucky on some things and then there’s been times where you get lucky,” Goff said. “I think I’ve done a good job taking care of the ball and I think guys have got themselves open and we’re protecting well. And I’ve been conscious of it. I think that was an issue for us early on, that was part of why we were losing some of those games. I was very conscious of it and I think it’s been part of why we’ve won a lot of these games as well.”
Goff’s relationship with Johnson has been a big part of his and the offense’s success, too.
Johnson took over as pass game coordinator midway through last season, after Campbell stripped Anthony Lynn of offensive play-calling duties, and he and Goff have worked closely together since.
Now in his first season as Lions offensive coordinator, Johnson spent the offseason fashioning his playbook around Goff’s strengths. He incorporated some play-action and bootleg concepts that Goff had success with during his five seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, and added a creative twist with how he’s deployed the Lions’ skill talent.
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As a result, Goff has felt more comfortable pushing the ball downfield this season — he’s thrown more into tight coverage windows (12.8% of his throws this year vs. 10.7% last year, the second-lowest percentage in the league) — and the Lions have the sixth-highest scoring offense in the NFL.
“He’s a good communicator,” Goff said. “He understands offense, I feel like I understand offense. We can have those conversations, we can get in depth on some things defense, scheme-wise, and I think he respects my career up this point and respects what I’ve done as well as I do for him and knowing how smart he is. We have a good working relationship and he’s been a guy that I’m happy to play with.”
A two-time Pro Bowler with the Rams who led L.A. to the Super Bowl in his third season, Goff said he’s “in a good place” as the Lions head into their final five-game stretch with the playoffs on the line.
The Lions can afford at most one more loss and likely need to win out to make the postseason.
“I’ve played a lot of good football in my career, but I feel as comfortable as I’ve ever felt,” Goff said. “I’m getting older, I’m understanding the game more. It’s everything coming together a little bit.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.