If you can believe it, the 2022 NFL season for the Detroit Lions is nearly upon us. They’ll be taking on the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday at Ford Field in downtown Detroit, and will be looking to kick off the second year of the Dan Campbell and Jared Goff era with a victory.
For Goff, his tenure with the Lions started slowly last season after the monumental trade that saw Matthew Stafford head to the sunny shores of Hollywood. And while there were certainly growing pains in the first half of the season, which also included missing two games with a knee injury as well as having tested positive for COVID-19, Goff and the Lions were able to show promise and growth and give fans reasonable hope for bigger and better things to come in 2022. He helped lead the Lions to three straight home victories while tossing eight touchdowns and completing 70 percent of his passes in the wins against the Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, and division rival Green Bay Packers. He also finished his last five games with a 107.1 passer rating.
Heading into this season, Goff will have additional help on the offensive side of the ball after general manager, Brad Holmes, added DJ Chark and Jameson Williams. Of course, Goff already has the likes of T.J. Hockenson, D’Andre Swift, and Amon-Ra St. Brown with which to work.
“We were talking, I said, ‘Just be patient. Help is coming,’” Holmes explained earlier this month. “I wanted him to know that. I wanted him to know, I’m going to put some weapons around you now.”
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And with new offensive coordinator Ben Johnson potentially running things on the offensive side of the ball, this season will present a prime opportunity for Goff to silence his doubters and critics.
“I think I’ve got full control of what we’re doing on offense and full ownership,” Goff recently stated. “They’ve given me the reigns and I’ve ran with it as best I can. I know that — I think I know that they’ve been happy with the way things have gone up to this point with me in that position. But it’s, yeah, I feel confident. I feel confident in the guys around me too. It’s been really fun.”
Goff also certainly had no shortage of praise for Johnson, who was promoted to the role of offensive coordinator following the departure of Anthony Lynn.
“The trust he has in me, and the amount of questions he asks me, and vice versa, the amount of questions I can ask him — and his responsiveness, and how great he is at listening, all that stuff is so helpful for a quarterback and I don’t take it for granted,” Goff said. “He’s a great coach and someone I’m excited to work with.”
There’s certainly no doubt that when a player’s coaching staff demonstrates confidence in one’s abilities, the player will respond positively.
Jared Goff could silence his doubters in 2022
Goff finished his first year in the Motor City with 3,245 yards along with 19 touchdowns and eight picks. And according to ESPN writer Dan Graziano, don’t be surprised to see Goff enjoy a career season in 2022.
“The Lions look good on the offensive line,” explained Dan Graziano. “They added DJ Chark to the receiving corps to go with the promising Amon-Ra St. Brown. They’re strong at running back with D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams.”
“I’m not saying the Lions make some major jump into the playoffs this year, and I’m not just caught up in ‘Hard Knocks’ hype, because Goff has been the invisible man on that show so far this year. I’m saying the Lions feel very, very good about how Goff has looked in camp, and he may be better set up for statistical success than you think he is.”
Goff certainly has past accolades that he and his fans can hang their hats upon, as he’s a two-time Pro Bowler as well as having led the Rams to the Super Bowl. While nobody is really expecting Goff to lead the Lions that far, there’s no reason to expect that with the improved edition of the team in 2022 that Goff’s strong play down the stretch last year will carry over.
He certainly was excited about the new additions, according to Holmes.
“He was like, ‘Oh, man, Jameson!’” Holmes recalled. “Every single time we made an acquisition, he was texting me like, ‘Let’s (bleeping) go!’”
Goff and the Lions will kick off from Ford Field starting at 1:00 PM EST with radio coverage on 97.1 The Ticket and local television coverage on Fox.
