Even advanced data sites are polarized on Lions quarterback Jared Goff

Lions fans can be of opposite opinions on Lions quarterback Jared Goff, and two notable advanced data sites are along the same wavelength in terms of his 2022 performance.

Ask two Detroit Lions fans, and you might get two totally opposite opinions on Jared Goff. To be fair, after a good showing this season, most fans are fine with him remaining the starting quarterback next season. The most optimistic of those are fine with him being the starter beyond 2023, at least for now.

The group who says Goff is not elite is right. Those who want him to be replaced/upgraded on as soon as plausible are also right, in a certain light.

Even advanced data sites are of opposing views on Goff.

Goff was a topic on the “Pro Football Focus NFL Podcast” last Wednesday, in the “Explain The Grade” segment. The site gave Goff an overall grade of 72.4 and a passing grade of 71.6, 20th and 19th among qualifying quarterbacks respectively.

Here’s what co-host Steve Palazzolo had to say, via SI.com:

"I like Jared Goff, I liked him coming out,” Palazzolo said. “He’s a solid NFL starter. He’s had a couple rough years in there, including 2021 with the Lions. I think Goff epitomizes the mid-tier NFL quarterback, where, and I think the PFF grade does a good job separating the quarterback from the production.”We’ve been raving about Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator in Detroit, and I think he’s a big factor here in Jared Goff’s season,” Palazzolo said. “The luck factor here is, Goff finishes with 24 turnover-worthy plays, that’s 3.6 percent of his drop-backs, that’s on the lower end.”"

PFF’s perception of some turnover luck for Goff this year is backed up somewhat by the NFL’s own data on the Lions as a team, for what it’s worth. PFF’s Sam Monson also mentioned Goff’s lack of “big time throws”, based on how the site determines those.

Advanced data sites are polarized on Jared Goff too

NFL Next Gen Stats gave Goff the third-highest passing score in the league this season.

The root of Goff’s success, to the surprise of no one who has been paying attention to his career, was play action.

If you have a perception, you can find numbers to back it up and prove yourself right. NextGen Stats gave Goff credit for simply executing the Lions’ offense, often very successfully, while Pro Football Focus saw a lack of willingness/ability to throw into tight coverage and docked Goff for it.

Ultimately, this is what Goff is. Some good, some bad and some in-between. It adds up to a roughly average NFL starting quarterback, who performs like an efficient, top-tier guy at peak performance and is an overly conservative, lack of pocket awareness and a little bit turnover-prone mess when things aren’t ideal.