The Detroit Lions have enjoyed a great start to the 2026 season, and there have been plenty of reasons for their quick resurgence as the year has played out thus far.
Quite possibly the biggest reason for their success has been the steady play of quarterback Jared Goff. Thus far, Goff has been arguably the most impressive player in the NFL at his position. He hasn't thrown an interception while firing 14 touchdowns for 1,788 yards. As a result, he leads the NFL in passer rating (112.5).
A 20-17 win over the Green Bay Packers finally gave Goff a signature win early in the season, and with that, he is finally getting on some radars for MVP love. Following the clutch win, ESPN's Ben Solak admitted that he thinks Goff is a sleeper candidate for the award that nobody is talking about right now.
"I took a quick peak at the MVP odds and found Goff eighth behind Allen (makes sense), Purdy (makes sense), Joe Burrow (makes sense), Lawrence (I agree), Mahomes (ehhh), Maye (probably not) and Williams (missed too many games). Goff has barely better odds than Packers quarterback Jordan Love despite the head-to-head win. The next closest player? Gibbs."
"There's almost no shot that Gibbs wins the MVP over Goff if Detroit's season runs out with an NFC North title. The Lions are a fairly balanced offense (15th in overall pass rate, 11th in pass rate over expectation). For a running back to win the MVP over a quarterback, the production and talent disparity would have to be so obvious -- think Robinson vs. Penix -- that it would be a farce to select otherwise. Until proven otherwise, MVP is a quarterback award in the modern era."
"Goff is far from a favorite at this stage, and rightfully so. Burrow is the one throwing the ball on every down, and the Bengals have the easiest schedule left. The AFC North, at least by record, is as competitive as the NFC North. If you're making me guess today who will actually win the award at the end of the season, I think I'd take Burrow."
"But if the question is which player could emerge from the void of hype-less-ness and become a favorite by December, Goff seems like the obvious choice."
MVP love early in the season has been hard to find for Goff in spite of his statistical mastery, and it's probably because he doesn't play the position in as sexy a way as any of the other quarterbacks in the league. He doesn't run, nor does he fit the mold of the new quarterback.
Even such, that shouldn't stop him from getting the needed buzz when he is having a great season. It's good to see that Goff
Goff having a great season for Lions by letting the game come to him
This season, Goff has led plenty of statistical categories simply by lining up and playing confidently. That was on display against the Packers in Week 7 when he calmly led a game-winning drive late in the fourth-quarter.
Juggling the clock as well as the situation while trying not to make a mistake can be tough duty, but as Goff explained after the fact, he is seeing the game differently right now. He's not overthinking things and letting everybody do their job, which is allowing him a chance to be successful.
"I don't think, because to us, we're just running the play that's called. It's hard on the sideline for the coaches certainly. And I thought that was as good as it gets at clock management from how much time we have, four minutes, and then knowing we don't want to give them the ball back. A lot of teams probably kick the field goal there with 30 seconds and they have a chance, but we didn't want to do that and we handled it really well and did everything we wanted to and kicked it with no time left."
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Goff's calm under pressure has been a big story for the Lions this season, and if he keeps leading Detroit to wins while putting up excellent stats, he could very well work himself into the MVP discussion by the time the year is over.
While Goff might still be considered a long shot to win the award, he is at the very least on some radars to do so. At this point, it's the least he deserves for having another fantastic start to a season in Detroit.
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