Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions showed tangible signs of turning the corner in the second half of the season offensively, and that fact gives the team some major momentum as they head into the offseason.
Goff showed signs of being the quarterback the Lions expected when they traded for him over his last six games played, and as a result, left the team and fans with something to think about as it relates to what the future may hold in 2022. Goff himself knows it could be special given these facts.
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Speaking with the media on Monday, January 10 in an interview posted to DetroitLions.com, Goff admitted to the fact that he got to play faster and started to see things come together, which helped work to the offense’s benefit.
“I think it was about just understanding what we’re trying to do and playing fast. Playing fast and playing decisive. One I was able to get with some of the new stuff I implemented with Ben (Johnson) and Dan (Campbell) and all those guys, maybe the Chicago game was where that clicked,” Goff explained. :I thought we kind of took off from there offensively. Some of the improvements you guys wouldn’t be able to see happened in practice and weren’t ultimately seen in the game but a lot of it was. Just seeing how we practiced and how much better we got over those six, seven weeks was really cool and gives us a real reason to have some real optimism heading into the offseason.”
Optimism is huge for the Lions, who needed some things to go their way after a tough start to the year. Once those things started to round into form, the team looked much tougher down the stretch than they had earlier in the year.
The players clearly think a new leaf has been turned over for the offense and are excited to see how much better things can get once 2022 comes.
Goff Expects Offense to Have Better Start
Perhaps some of the early trouble for the Lions was based on the fact that the team didn’t have time to get Goff completely acclimated into the offense. It was obvious that it took time for Goff to get comfortable on the field, and the team’s offense suffered early as a result. As things became more comfortable, however, the Lions had a much better year. Goff thinks that he will be further along in the offense as a result and be able to hit the ground running in a bigger way.
“A lot further. A lot of the guys I am comfortable with I know who we got coming back. Obviously comfortable with receivers, the offensive line. Getting Frank (Ragnow) back will be huge. Some of that stuff will get us on the right foot moving forward,” Goff explained to the media.
Having Goff be that comfortable early on would be big news for the Lions, who need to hit the ground running in a big way during 2022 early on. The quarterback thinks they will be able to do just that thanks to who they’ve got on the roster.
Goff Enjoyed Statistically Dominant Finish to 2021
In spite of all the struggles, Goff found a way to finish the 2021 season strong. Since Thanksgiving, Goff has been on relative fire as statistics go at quarterback when he has played. He finished the year by throwing 11 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions while going off for 1,136 yards. Goff has also claimed elusive awards for a Lions quarterback such as NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors as well as FedEx Air Player of the Week award.
Perhaps better than that, Goff was able to step up and have some big games against big competition. His bet game came when he grilled Arizona with 3 touchdowns in late December:
For a player who many have accused of lacking talent this past year, these statistics and plays show that Goff could have his best days in front of him as a passer and might offer the Lions a lot in 2022. That’s perhaps the biggest reason his future is likely now secure with the team.
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