Detroit Lions: Jared Goff Is The MVP In 2024…For Now

More often than not, when fans discuss the Most Valuable Player in the NFL, the focus normally shifts to the quarterback position. That makes sense based on the repetitive history of the award. The last time a non-quarterback won the MVP was back in 2012 when Adrian Peterson took home the hardware. Names like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, and Patrick Mahomes have either won or finished towards the top of the MVP voting list in the last five years.

The 2024 season has seen an unlikely candidate emerge from the crowd. Jared Goff has been absolutely on fire in 2024. Of course, the usual candidates Allen, Jackson, and Mahomes, are hanging around, but Goff has taken his game to another level. It’s crazy to think that this man, completely discarded by Los Angeles, has become one of the best quarterbacks in the league. At this point in the season, is there any quarterback as good as Jared Goff?

The Resurgence

In 2021, the Los Angeles Rams decided it was time to let the former number-one draft pick go. The Rams traded Goff to Detroit in exchange for Matthew Stafford. Even though Stafford would go on to lead the Rams to a victory in Super Bowl 56, Goff felt he was still the guy in Los Angeles. Just a few years prior, Goff led the Rams to an appearance in Super Bowl 53, indicating that there had to be issues going on behind the scenes.

Goff began to struggle suddenly, committing costly turnovers in crucial moments of the game. Rumors also circulated about his rocky relationship with head coach Sean McVay, which ultimately played a role in the decision to trade him.  The move to Detroit seemed like a slow march to futility for Goff. Considering the Lions were rarely a participant in the NFL postseason, it looked like his NFL career would remain stagnant until the day he retired.

Fortunately for Goff, the Lions had recently hired an ex-NFL tight end named Dan Campbell as head coach. Campbell has been nothing but a Godsend for Goff. Campbell has instilled new confidence into his quarterback over the last few years, turning him into one of the NFL’s top gunslingers. Of course, having guys like Amon-Ra St. Brown helps, but Goff has been a superstar in 2024.

Super Bowl Or Bust

The Detroit Lions have never played in the Super Bowl, something that most NFL fans are well aware of. In 2023, not only did Detroit win its first playoff game since 1991, is was as close to the Super Bowl as it had ever been. Sure, the 1991 Lions also reached the NFC Championship game, but they were destroyed by Washington, 41-10. After building a 17-point lead at halftime against San Francisco in last year’s NFC Championship, the Lions watched their lead slip away in a 34-31 defeat. The 49ers were Super Bowl favorites and the Lions took them to the brink of elimination.

This season, the Lions have been simply dominant. Currently sitting at 7-1, the Lions have only one goal in mind, Super Bowl Sunday. The time is now for Detroit. The way Goff has played this season has been otherworldly. In their game against the Seattle Seahawks earlier this year, Goff set an NFL record by completing his first 18 passes. In fact, Goff was perfect on that night, finishing 18 of 18 for 292 and two touchdowns. He has been incredibly accurate and poised this season, something that makes the Lions even more dangerous.

If the Lions stay on their current path, there is absolutely no way the MVP trophy should be given to anyone else but Jared Goff. Of course, for Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions, the only trophy that matters has the name Lombardi in it.