Is the Lions Starting QB Still an MVP Candidate without Ben Johnson?
The past three seasons for Lions quarterback Jared Goff have been nothing short of impressive. With the most prominent stats of his career in 2024, he finished second in passing yards and passer rating, while finishing third in touchdowns. After being traded by the Rams to the Lions, his career has been on the rise, with multiple playoff appearances. So why was it only his most recent seasons that Goff was involved in the MVP conversation, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson?
The new Bears head coach has worked with Jared Goff for over three years and is known for having a strong offensive mind. Johnson’s play-calling helped Goff shine as it was a fast-paced, quick-read offense. An offensive scheme that involved a lot of motion and movement before the snap put Goff in a position to succeed and get the ball out of his hands quickly. There are a lot of quarterbacks in the league who would thrive in this system and would be able to shine as brightly as Goff has.
The offensive identity of this Lions team will be interesting to watch unfold. Will they go back to a similar playbook, or will they scrap the whole thing and start from scratch? The coaching staff wants to be able to adapt to Goff and his weapons as they continue the season and look for success. John Morton, the new offensive coordinator for the Lions, has a similar playstyle to Johnson. He has been characterized as someone who runs heavy formations and makes extensive use of motions to trick the defense, something we saw from Johnson a lot in Detroit.
He has his own use of plays and formations, so it will be a little different for this offense to get used to. This year, we will see if Goff is a true MVP quarterback or if he was just a system player. The expectations for this year's team have dropped tremendously as they’ve lost key pieces, including both coordinators and major offensive line pieces. In a loaded NFC North, it will be much better competition for Goff to prove that he is a true quarterback.
