Heading into Week 10 against the Houston Texans, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff was on an unprecedented run of efficiency as a passer. It was bound to end, but it ended with a shockingly massive thud against the Texans as he threw five interceptions. A deeper dive might show that all five of the interceptions weren't his fault, but he was clearly rattled by pressure and generally not sharp against Houston.
The MVP buzz around Goff is clearly diminished coming off that performance against the Texans, with few people out there who would say otherwise. Which isn't to say he can't recover his status among the top MVP candidates, with nine games left in the regular season. But it won't be easy to get back to that status, even if the Lions have the ultimate success they are expected to.
Ex-Lions quarterback stamps out Jared Goff MVP candidacy
On Thursday's edition of ESPN's "First Take, Stephen A. Smith and Dan Orlovsky had a discussion about the NFL MVP rave.
"It (the five-interception game) hurt Jared Goff, no question about it", Smith said. "But he was so exceptional leading up to last week, if he comes back and is exceptional over another six-game stretch, as the season goes on, I think he can overcome what happened this past weekend. But five interceptions in one game is definitely damaging to an MVP's hope...an aspiring MVP's hope."
In response to Smith, Orlovsky offered his opinion that Lamar Jackson was/is the top candidate for MVP, while he saying he "loves" Goff. Then he made a definitive statement about Goff's MVP candidacy.
"No one has championed Jared Goff more. His MVP case is over," Orlovsky said. "You don't throw five interceptions in primetime television and still be in that race."
The concept of "First Take", with opposing opinions possibly (likely?) whether a panelist really has a differing opinion or not, has to be noted here. But maybe Orlovsky was featured here because he genuinely believes Goff's MVP candidacy is over, while Smith is less harsh with his take.
.@danorlovsky7 says Jared Goff's MVP case is over 😳
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 14, 2024
"No one has championed Jared Goff more. His MVP case is over. You don't throw five interceptions in primetime television and still be in that race." pic.twitter.com/BjkUnSRVmu
The MVP award often goes to the quarterback of one of the No. 1 playoff seeds, and the Lions are the current favorite to be that in the NFC. But that quarterback usually has noticeable raw numbers too, and Goff is simply not on pace for those kind of all-around passing numbers.
This year's Lions are ultimately only focused on one thing, the Lombardi Trophy. So it's unlikely Goff cares about a little trinket of validation like an MVP award, as long as the ultimate goal is reached.