The numbers are gaudy, historic in fact. The film is easy on the eyes. The timing is perfect, the accuracy outstanding.
So why is there a hesitancy by some, from media personalities to sportsbooks, to say that Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff is a true NFL MVP candidate? Sure, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson is the leader, but don’t be foolish and not think Goff is a challenger. (You can check out the latest MVP odds at FanDuel.)
Goff has been on a tear the past four games, taking the Lions to the top of the NFC North and up to No. 2 in my power rankings this week. When the Los Angeles Rams traded Goff to the Lions in 2021, their thinking was he wasn’t good enough to win a Super Bowl. Many thought the Lions acquired him to keep the seat warm for a rookie they would soon draft.
That idea has been put to rest in a big way since the Lions gave him a mega-deal this offseason, and he’s rolling up stats that are eye-opening. The Lions are 5-1 and again surging on offense as they push for a Super Bowl, as they currently have the third-best odds to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, according to Fanduel Sportsbook.
They are doing it mostly because of Goff.
He carved up the Minnesota Vikings‘ vaunted blitz defense Sunday in their dramatic 31-29 victory to the tune of 280 yards and two touchdowns with a passer rating of 140. That rating made him the only player in league history to have four consecutive games with a completion percentage of 80% and a passer rating of 140 or better.
In the past four games, he has a completion percentage of 83.5, the highest ever for a quarterback over a four-game span. He’s also only the second quarterback, joining Peyton Manning, to throw for 1,000 yards and complete 80% of his passes in a four-game span. He also has helped the Lions score more offensive touchdowns (18) than he’s thrown incompletions (16) in those four games.
Credit goes to the Lions offensive staff, especially coordinator Ben Johnson, since they have made it easy on Goff. But Goff has really taken to the offense, and his ability to stand in and make throws has been on display over the past month.
Without Aidan Hutchinson to create havoc on defense, there will be even more pressure on Goff and the offense to go out and score each and every week. The Lions are second in the league in scoring at 30.1 points per game. They might need to get that even higher if they don’t make a move for a pass rusher to replace the injured Hutchinson.
It’s hard to see the offense slowing down. If it stays this way, Goff will stay an MVP candidate and just might throw the Lions all the way to winning it all.
Not bad for a guy the Rams didn’t think could do just that.
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Chiefs | They just keep right on rolling as the lone undefeated team. But they are doing it behind the defense as the offense works through things. | — | 6-0-0 |
| 2 |  Lions | They have a dynamic offense that will continue to roll up big numbers. They do need to find a replacement for the injured Aidan Hutchinson. Go get Maxx Crosby. | 2 | 5-1-0 |
| 3 |  Ravens | Lamar Jackson looks unstoppable right now. He is the MVP as of this moment. His passing in this offense has been outstanding. | 2 | 5-2-0 |
| 4 |  Vikings | The Lions gave them their first loss of the season in large part because the defense wasn’t as good. They have a short turnaround to play Thursday to get things fixed. | 2 | 5-1-0 |
| 5 |  Packers | Coming from behind against the Texans was impressive. The passing game still has some flaws, but it’s getting there. | 1 | 5-2-0 |
| 6 |  Bills | The Amari Cooper trade paid off right away in the victory over the Titans. The passing game will be a lot better now with Cooper playing the No. 1 receiver role. | 1 | 5-2-0 |
| 7 |  Texans | They’ve had too many injuries to the defense that show up weekly. The other concern: C.J. Stroud has to get back to racking up big numbers. | 4 | 5-2-0 |
| 8 |  Bears | They come off their bye with a game against a good Washington team, but a team that could be without Jayden Daniels. The Bears offense really got it going before the bye, so they have to hope it can continue to grow. | 1 | 4-2-0 |
| 9 |  Commanders | The injury to Jayden Daniels is concerning, but Marcus Mariota came off the bench to play well. He will be fine in any short-term situation. | 3 | 5-2-0 |
| 10 |  Steelers | Russell Wilson did some good things after a slow start in the win over the Jets. That was an impressive victory to get the Steelers to 5-2. | 3 | 5-2-0 |
| 11 |  Eagles | That Eagles team we saw against the Giants is the team we expected to see. They put to rest for a week all the talks that head coach Nick Sirianni is in trouble. | 4 | 4-2-0 |
| 12 |  Seahawks | That was a big-time road victory at Atlanta against the Falcons. The defense came up big after a rough stretch of games. | 4 | 4-3-0 |
| 13 |  Buccaneers | After leading 10-0, they wilted in the loss to the Ravens. The defense simply couldn’t stop Lamar Jackson. But the bigger story is the loss of Chris Godwin with an ankle injury that will end his season. | 3 | 4-3-0 |
| 14 |  Falcons | Kirk Cousins and the passing game really struggled against the Seahawks. That’s a bad home loss. | 6 | 4-3-0 |
| 15 |  49ers | They have had too many injuries to be considered a Super contender now. The latest with the loss of receiver Brandon Aiyuk for the year really is another damning blow. | 4 | 3-4-0 |
| 16 |  Cowboys | They better hope the bye did them some good. The defense has to be better than it’s been as they ready to face the 49ers. | 1 | 3-3-0 |
| 17 |  Broncos | They have the defense to win a lot of games. All they have to do is keep getting Bo Nix to improve and they can be a playoff contender. | 1 | 4-3-0 |
| 18 |  Colts | They are 4-3, but they haven’t looked that good in getting there. Yet here they are one game behind the Texans in the division as they face them this week in Houston. | 3 | 4-3-0 |
| 19 |  Cardinals | That was a tough, physical win to beat the Chargers on Monday night on a last-second field goal. The defense came up big after a bad showing the week before. | 4 | 3-4-0 |
| 20 |  Chargers | They are limited on offense with the injuries at receiver, and it showed up in the loss to the Cardinals. They need to get bodies back. The defense let them down late in that loss. | 6 | 3-3-0 |
| 21 |  Jets | At 2-5, their chances of winning the division are done. But the schedule gets softer so they can go on a run, but the injuries are mounting. | 2 | 2-5-0 |
| 22 |  Saints | Injuries have decimated this team. They just don’t have enough good players right now. Even if Derek Carr comes back, it’s a problem. | 2 | 2-5-0 |
| 23 |  Bengals | The offense has really come alive — especially with Tee Higgins healthy — but this team will go only as far as the defense continues to improve. It’s getting there. | 1 | 3-4-0 |
| 24 |  Rams | It wasn’t pretty against the Raiders, but the defense came up big. They are still too limited on offense by the injuries. | 2 | 2-4-0 |
| 25 |  Giants | The ugly loss to the Eagles brings back into focus the talk that Brian Daboll could be in trouble. Daniel Jones wasn’t very good, either, as he was benched. | 1 | 2-5-0 |
| 26 |  Jaguars | They saved their season for now — and maybe some jobs — by beating the Patriots. The run game keyed it, and they will need it going forward. | 3 | 2-5-0 |
| 27 |  Raiders | Will they deal Maxx Crosby now that the season has gone bad? They should consider it as they look towards the future. | 2 | 2-5-0 |
| 28 |  Titans | Mason Rudolph or Will Levis? Does it matter who plays quarterback for this team? They have issues in a lot of spots. | 1 | 1-5-0 |
| 29 |  Dolphins | They can’t generate any offense. The good news is they might be getting Tua Tagovailoa back soon. | 1 | 2-4-0 |
| 30 |  Browns | With Deshaun Watson out, they have to turn to Jameis Winston. Is that a bad thing? | — | 1-6-0 |
| 31 |  Patriots | Coach Jerod Mayo said they were soft. That’s never a good thing. At least Drake Maye is playing well. | — | 1-6-0 |
| 32 |  Panthers | After falling into a deep hole early against Washington, they looked to lay down the rest of the game. That’s not a good look. | — | 1-6-0 |
