Burning Question: Will Jared Goff Regress in 2023?
The Detroit Lions' offense looked different when wideout DJ Chark was on the field.
With a big-play receiver healthy, Jared Goff's turnovers decreased significantly and the offense, led by offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, became more explosive.
One of the strongest reasons the team is among the favorites to win the NFC North and potentially make a run in the postseason was the play of the veteran signal-caller in 2022.
Goff was able to limit his turnovers and his stellar decision-making reminded many of his best days with the Los Angeles Rams, before things soured quickly with head coach Sean McVay.
The latest edition of the "Mina Kimes Show" explored if supporters of the Lions should be concerned the 28-year-old will regress in 2023, as last season was an "outlier" compared to his previous four seasons in the NFL.
"As a as a responsible football fan, you have to be, right, because Jared Goff has not shown consistency dating back to his time with the Rams," NFL analyst Carmen Vitali noted. "But that being said, again, Ben Johnson's system is a very quarterback friendly system and he makes things easy on Jared Goff.
"Not to mention -- I can't say enough about the fact that this is one of the best offensive lines in football, probably second to only the Eagles," Vitali continued. "And that makes a huge difference, when you not only have the offensive line shored up, but they have tremendous amount of depth behind those. They don't have swing tackles. They don't have guys that they're like, 'All right, he could be a right tackle or left tackle.' They literally have a depth chart on this inflated roster, two deep of different guys at every position behind the offensive line. That's not the norm at all. So, they continue to invest in their strengths and they know that's their strength. I really respect a king who understands that everything begins up front and that is Ben Johnson. And he knows that he can make things easy on Jared Goff if he has those guys up front."
Even though the team has question marks at the X wide receiver spot, adding tight end Sam LaPorta and running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs should take the pressure off of the veteran, who will likely be able to pick apart opposing defenses based on the quality play-calling and exploitive nature of Johnson's offense.
The dynamic pairing of Goff and Johnson has served to enhance the skills of a player who was a former No. 1 overall pick.
Also, Johnson's ability to set up opposing defenses with a vast array of looks from similar sets has made the Lions' offense among the best in the NFL in a relatively short period of time.
Kimes is not terribly worried about Goff regressing, but her concern level would rise if the level of talent was not as solid as it currently is in Detroit.
"I look at Jared Goff and I'm like, 'All right, if the situation is bad, I don't believe in you. Sorry.' If this offensive line lost players, I would probably lose faith in Jared Goff," Kimes explained. "If I thought that they weren't able to have such a successful play action attack because of, they're winning, they have a good run game. I mean, Jared Goff is still a play action merchant. .... You never know what happens with injuries, because I think the circumstances are still going to be very good around him. And we have seen when the circumstances are good around Jared Goff, Jared Goff is good, so I'm not terribly worried about it."
