One of the big points of offseason emphasis for new Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was attacking more down the field. Johnson wanted a more aggressive, more willing Jared Goff at quarterback.
Through the first five weeks, Johnson’s influence on Goff in Detroit has been positively obvious.
In 2021, no quarterback had a lower intended air yardage per target than Goff. His 6.6 average air yards per attempt (IAY) ranked below Ben Roethlisberger and Tua Tagovailoa at the bottom of the league, the only three regular QBs at 7.0 IAY or below as charted by Next Gen Stats.
It was painful at times to watch Goff consistently zero in on short-yardage targets instead of trying to push the ball down the field. Goff’s relative unwillingness to challenge with deeper throws allowed the opposing defense to cheat their safeties up and have a greater impact in the run game. It also left the Lions offense largely devoid of big plays.
With Johnson at the helm and an upgraded receiving corps at his disposal, we’ve seen a different Goff in 2022. His IAY average is up from the paltry 6.6 to 9.1, a figure that ranks fifth amongst QBs with at least 100 pass attempts in the first five weeks. It’s helped the Lions offense surge from 25th in scoring a year ago (19.1 ppg) to third in the league after Week 5 (28.0 ppg). Detroit led the NFL in scoring through the first four weeks before being shut out 29-0 by the Patriots in Week 5.
Goff’s completion percentage has dipped a little, down from 67.2 percent to 59.8, but he’s averaging more yards per game. In fact, Goff is averaging 39.1 passing yards per game in 2022 than he did in his first season in Detroit despite completing one fewer pass per game. Goff is also posting the highest touchdown rate (5.8 percent) of his seven-year career, a steep increase over his 2021 TD rate of 3.8.
The big plays are a welcomed byproduct. Detroit has the most passing pays that have gained at least 20 yards of any team in the league through the first five weeks, and the Lions are third overall in explosive plays on offense.
Most big plays through Week 5: pic.twitter.com/5eHcwylxkz
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) October 11, 2022
It’s not perfect. Goff’s INT rate is up from 1.7 to 2.2 percent. He’s struggled to consistently throw past the sticks on third downs too, something that really bit the Lions in Week 5. The increased scoring and offensive efficiency have yet to translate to the desired increase in winning games, though Detroit’s NFL-worst defense is far more culpable on that front.
Overall, the more aggressive Goff has dramatically improved the Lions all-around offense. Adding in first-round pick Jameson Williams–the fastest WR in the 2022 NFL draft–should only build upon the strong start with Goff and Johnson in Detroit.
