Goff has had one of the best seasons of his career, leading the Lions to a 12-5 record, an NFC North title (the team’s first division title since 1993) and a chance to make his second Super Bowl appearance. The 29-year-old QB joined Hall of Famer Peyton Manning as the only QBs drafted No. 1 overall to win two-plus playoff games with multiple franchises, per NFL Research.
This season, Goff threw 30 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and finished with a career-best 67.3% completion percentage. Surrounding Goff with a talented young core with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs has paid dividends not only for Goff but for everyone involved in offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s offense.
Detroit’s shift from playoff hopefuls to a Super Bowl contender began in the 2022 season. Head coach Dan Campbell’s squad went 8-2 in its final 10 games and narrowly missed the postseason. The hot streak wasn’t a fluke as evidenced by how Detroit began the 2023 season. Detroit started this season going 8-2 and proved to the league it was going to be playing football in late January.
Once considered a “bridge quarterback” after being traded by the Rams for Matthew Stafford, Goff has seemingly shut down that narrative and emerged as a franchise QB for the Lions.
Earlier in the season, general manager Brad Holmes said it was a “lazy” storyline and that he was “very proud” of Goff’s play to begin the 2023 season. Now, with a trip to Super Bowl LVIII on the line in Sunday’s road game against the 49ers, Holmes and the Lions view Goff as the long-term answer under center.