It’s no secret the Detroit Lions have big expectations this season.
After a 1-6 start to the 2022-23 season, the Lions fought back to finish 9-8, narrowly missing a wild-card spot. The team’s ability to accomplish such a turnaround is likely a contributing factor as to why they’re favored to win the NFC North division this upcoming season. They will need veteran quarterback Jared Goff to be at the top of his game to achieve that.
Head coach Dan Campbell has made his thoughts clear on Goff’s abilities, saying he believes Goff is a better quarterback now than when he was playing for the Los Angeles Rams. Will Brinson of CBS Sports, however, took a cautious approach with Goff in his starting QB rankings.
He placed Goff in the fourth tier titled “You can win with them,” alongside Dak Prescott, Geno Smith, Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill, Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo.
“The best way to describe these guys?” Brinson wrote. “They can get you to the playoffs if everything about them breaks in their favor but you cannot envision a scenario where they take you on a deep playoff run or win you a Super Bowl without a really stout defense/run game combo or the stars simply aligning.”
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Goff threw for 4,438 yards, sixth in the NFL, with 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions last season. The team ranked fourth in the league offensively, averaging 380 yards per game, but did not have similar success on the other side of the ball. The defense ranked last in the league last season, giving up an average of 392.4 yards per game.
“Goff is the guy I felt bad including in this list but it’s technically a move up from JLC’s list last year when he was just a ‘guy/veteran/placeholder’ and he deserves that, with the caveat maybe he’s got a little upside left at age 28 should everything click in Detroit this year,” Brinson wrote.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports was the author of the list for 2022’s rankings and placed Goff in the sixth tier titled “Good luck.” “Goff is just biding his time due to his bloated contract,” La Canfora wrote.
It’s fair to say Goff more than exceeded those expectations and made those words look silly.
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While Goff and Cousins were placed in the fourth tier in the 2023 list, their division foe and Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields was sorted into the third tier titled, “Intrigue with question marks.”
Rounding out the NFC North, Green Bay’s new starting quarterback Jordan Love was placed in the sixth tier titled “No clue, man.”
The division is full of uncertainties this year and while the Lions are favorites to win their first division title since 1993, a misstep coupled with a surge from any of the teams could nix the high hopes.