4 Detroit Lions players to watch in Week 2 vs. the Commanders

1. QB Jared Goff

Goff did not deflect blame for a Lions’ offense that was lacking at times against the Eagles, but still put up 35 points. Missed throws from him and a few drops surely fall into the category of things to clean up that Campbelll noted.

Goff knows better execution starts with him.

But it wasn’t all negative for Goff against Philadelphia. Via Justin Rogers of The Detroit News.

"From NFL’s Next Gen stats: Jared Goff’s time to throw was quickest in the NFL. His average intended air yards were up 24.2% from 2021 and his expected completion percentage (factoring in drops) was 67.4%. Some positive signs in first game in a new scheme"

Overall, Goff completed just under 57 percent of his passes against the Eagles (21-for-37) for 215 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. But he did let it go downfield more than he was willing to for much of last year, based on the eye test and analytics, and he threw a dime to DJ Chark in tight coverage for a 22-yard touchdown. He would not have confidently made that throw early last season.

Even without Chase Young (ACL–PUP list), the Commanders have a good defensive line. If Goff is kept pretty clean again (he was only sacked once by the Eagles), he could be sitting on a nice rebound effort against a secondary that’s not quite as good as Philadelphia’s.