If the Detroit Lions want to make a deep playoff run this season, they're going to need even more out of quarterback Jared Goff.
For a 31-year-old QB who's compiled three consecutive seasons of 4,500+ passing yards and 30+ touchdown passes, it doesn't feel like there's much room to grow. Goff's not suddenly going to get faster on his feet and become dangerous outside of the pocket, as is the current QB meta.
Figuring out how to unlock that next level for Goff will be one of the many goals for new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, and there's one stat Petzing can point to from his time with the Arizona Cardinals as an opportunity to do just that.
Lions' Jared Goff must be more aggressive throwing downfield
Last season, Goff finished in a tie for last with Pittsburgh Steelers' Aaron Rodgers in intended air yards per attempt (IAY), with 6.0. This stat measures how far the ball goes on every pass attempt, regardless of whether it's completed or not.
Why is this important? The top two finishers for the MVP award were the top two in this stat. The Los Angeles Rams' Matthew Stafford (9.1) finished first, while the New England Patriots' Drake Maye (9.0) was close behind.
Minnesota Vikings' J.J. McCarthy (8.9) being third may discredit this stat a little, but Green Bay Packers' Jordan Love (8.7) and Chicago Bears' Caleb Williams (8.5) also find themselves high on this list. That's three NFC North QBs in the top seven, while Goff sits in last place.
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This also matters because Goff is an incredibly accurate QB, even with his deeper passes. Fantasy Points Data shared an intriguing stat on X, showing that he had the best "highly accurate" throw rate for passes that traveled ten yards or more (56.0 percent) of any signal-caller with at least 100 attempts.
If Goff can maintain that high level of efficiency with deeper passes on average, the Lions should have an easier time getting up the field, with greater opportunities to end those drives in scores.
It sounds simple and minor, but even adding a half-yard per attempt could be the difference between a three-and-out and a first down, a punt and a field goal, a FG and a TD. The Lions may have scored the fourth-most points last season (481), but the offense wasn't without stagnation at inopportune times.
IAY is one area that can be improved by virtue of scheming and play-calling, and it's something Petzing has seen some success in during his time in Arizona.
Why Lions OC Drew Petzing could unlock Jared Goff
Where Petzing comes into all of this is the performance of his QB last season. Jacoby Brissett had a breakout season last year under Petzing. Despite his 1-11 record, Brissett threw a career-high 240.4 yards per game, surpassing his previous high (196.1) by 44.3 yards. Brissett even broke the NFL record for completions in a regular season game (47), a record once held by Goff.
In IAY, Brissett finished with a league-average 7.6 clip, which was higher than his 6.4 from his previous season in New England. By comparison, Goff has only reached that mark or higher twice in his career — his first two seasons in the NFL and hasn't been higher than 7.0 since 2022.
Petzing should have no problem tailoring the offense toward deeper passes, even if slight. Wide receiver Jameson Williams has turned in back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons and was among the league's best WRs after head coach Dan Campbell took over play-calling. In that span, Williams was fifth in receiving yards (762) and tied for first in 20-plus-yard receptions (17).
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It's worth noting that the Cardinals' Michael Wilson (809), who had his own breakout as a deep threat last season, finished above Williams in yards since Week 10 last season. That's some evidence to suggest that Petzing will utilize Williams better in that regard than former OC John Morton did.
Williams is just one of the many weapons Petzing has at his disposal in the pass game, along with WRs Amon-Ra St. Brown and rising upstart Isaac TeSlaa, the now-healthy tight end Sam LaPorta, and versatile running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Not to mention Goff himself being an outright better QB than anyone he's had worked with as an OC.
Goff finishing last in IAY already feels inexcusable, given the talent around him. If Petzing doesn't want to be another failed OC like Morton, it's one of many things he'll have to improve in 2026. He's already proven capable of doing just that.
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