Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has routinely been one of the most underrated signal-callers in the NFL, even after resurrecting his career in the Motor City and taking Detroit to the NFC Championship Game last season.
Goff had arguably his best season as a pro in 2023. His completion rate (67.3%) was the best of his career, his passing yards (4,575) were his third-most, and his 30 scores were the second-most of any season of his career.
But Goff hasn't just recently gotten good. In fact, he's got some of the best numbers in league history for a quarterback over their first eight seasons. He ranks fourth in pass completions, fifth in passing yards, seventh in attempts, ninth in passer rating and tied-for-12th in passing touchdowns.
In the past two seasons, Goff ranks second in passing yards, third in touchdowns and fourth in quarterback wins. He also owns the most playoff wins of any NFC signal-caller since entering the league in 2016 (five).
Despite all that, Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema ranked Goff in the middle of the pack in his quarterback rankings ahead of the 2024 campaign, with the veteran landing at No. 16. Here's what Sikkema said about Detroit's quarterback:
For as much as Goff was already an efficient, in-structure quarterback, he took that to an even higher level last season. His 85.2 passing grade in 2023 was the highest of his career, his 3.4% big-time throw percentage was the highest single-season number since his Rams days and his 2.4% turnover-worthy play percentage was a career low.
Unfortunately, Goff's play under pressure and outside of structure continues to leave a lot to be desired when compared to other top NFL quarterbacks.
There are a few quarterbacks ranked ahead of Goff that shouldn't be, including the San Francisco 49ers' Brock Purdy, the Jacksonville Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence and the Green Bay Packers' Jordan Love.
Lawrence has not lived up to his billing and is insanely overrated. Love and Purdy are both coming off impressive seasons, but their sample sizes are far too small to be ranked ahead of Goff.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins and Miami Dolphins signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa are also ranked ahead of Goff. There's certainly an argument to be made for the former No. 1 overall pick to be ahead of them.
It's clear Goff is going to need to win a Super Bowl to get the kind of respect he deserves. He'll be in a great position to do just that on a Lions team that has legit Super Bowl aspirations in 2024 and beyond thanks to a supremely talented and young roster that should be good for the foreseeable future.
