Prior to the 2021 season, the Detroit Lions traded QB Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for a trio of draft picks and Jared Goff.
We all knew that Goff would be a big step down from Stafford but the hope was that he could at least come in and be formidable.
Unfortunately, Goff got off to a rough start as the Lions were 0-9-1 in his first 10 starts. During those starts, he threw for 2,280 yards (6.37 yards per attempt) with just 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.
But that’s when Goff flipped the switch as he played well in his final four games of the season as the Lions went 3-1 in those games. During that stretch, Goff completed 66.9% of his passes for 965 yards (7.1 yards per attempt) and nine touchdowns to go along with two interceptions.
Detroit Lions are trying to make Jared Goff ‘uncomfortable’
On Friday, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson spoke to reporters and he explained that the Detroit Lions coaches were doing what they could to make Jared Goff “uncomfortable.”
“Yeah, I would say that we’ve tried to make him uncomfortable,” Johnson stated before Friday’s practice session. “It’s something we talk about with all the offensive players is getting comfortable being uncomfortable. It’s been a challenge to rattle him. We’ve thrown some new concepts at him that we didn’t do in the springtime, and he’s handled it really well.”
“I know Coach (Campbell) talked about just the offense as a whole being able to handle pressure and as the intensity goes up and the heat of the moment of the game goes up, that the heart rate goes down. I think he (Goff) kind of is the example for that for the rest of the group because he has done a really nice job just staying steady, and he is focused. I’m really proud of where he’s at after a week and a half.”
Goff is more comfortable with the playbook, he is more confident than a year ago, and he will have more weapons to work with on the offensive side of the ball.
If Jared Goff can raise his game to another level in 2022, the Lions’ offense could be a force to reckon with.
Nation, what are your expectations for Goff in 2022?
