Jared Goff has suddenly become the hottest quarterback in the NFL. Can he keep i

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is the hottest quarterback in the NFL, and the are making a playoff push. Not a typo. The Lions have won five of their past six games, and Goff leads the NFL in EPA per dropback over that span.Goff is having a career year and one Brandon Ingram Jersey  of the best seasons by a quarterback in the NFL this year. Also not a typo. He ranks fourth in EPA per dropback this season and sixth in ESPN's total quarterback rating (QBR) -- both the best ranks in a season in his career.Just over a month ago, those statements sounded like an impo sibility. The Lions were 1-6 and Goff had a 4-16-1 record up to that point in his career with Detroit.Just over a month ago, he was still the struggling quarterback the paired with two first-round picks to offload his contract and acquire in pursuit of a Super Bowl.  Like most people, I a sumed the Lions would stumble to the finish line, draft a quarterback in 2023, and Goff's career would fizzle out. Now, the Lions are still expected to , but the narrative has completely changed around Goff. Maybe he can lead the Lions to the playoffs this season and be a solid starter in 2023.             DET  QB  #16  CMP%65.3YDs3352TD22INT7YD/Att7.55 So, what's changed? Well, one of the biggest reasons the Lions are winning lately is their improved defense. But, Goff has also been more efficient because they are leaning into his bread-and-butter: play action.Jared Goff Lions careerFirst 21 gamesLast 6 gamesWins45EPA per dropback-0.010.31NFL rank22nd1stPlay action31% of Goff's plays have used play action in his last six games, the fifth-highest rate in the league. He was using play action at the 18th-highest rate (24%) in his first eight games of the season. Seven of his 10 touchdown pa ses in his last  Elfrid Payton Jersey six games have come off play action.Jared Goff play action this seasonFirst 8 gamesLast 6 gamesPercent of dropbacks24%31%Completion rate65%73%Pa s TD57Pa ser rating107.4125.8This is the same formula that made him succe sful with the Rams. Goff leads the NFL in touchdown pa ses (12) and ranks fourth in EPA per dropback on play action this season. In 2018, when he helped the Rams reach the Super Bowl, he led the NFL in touchdown pa ses and ranked fourth in EPA per dropback on play action.Credit the Lions for leaning into Goff's strength from his Rams days and for the design on these plays. This fake pitch sucked the linebacker in and left wide open for a touchdown against the .And here, two defensive backs were absolutely fooled on this play fake, leading to easy score.You can see why the Lions lead the NFL in red zone efficiency this season. has been piling up short touchdowns, and the play action has worked perfectly off of it.Deep pa singOne of the (unflattering) comparisons made between Goff and Matthew Stafford after the trade was their arm strength. It was warranted, too. Stafford made big-time deep throws to lead the Rams to a Super Bowl that Goff didn't consistently make during his Rams tenure.While Goff is never going to lean heavily on the deep ball, he has thrown a few dimes in recent weeks. Week 14 was his first career game with multiple touchdown pa ses thrown 30-plus yards downfield. His deep touchdown to was on a broken coverage, but this one to was perfectly thrown.He also threaded a ball right into the bread basket to Chark against the Jaguars.Those are the throws Goff will need to make for Detroit to finish off a miraculous turnaround. Don't forget, the  Jarrod Uthoff Jersey Lions could easily be looking at a six-game win streak (instead of winners of five of six) had Goff completed this deep ball late against the on Thanksgiving.         Pick Six Newsletter   Crafted By The Best NFL Experts   Get the day's big stories + fun stuff you love like mock drafts, picks and power rankings.     I agree to receive the "Pick Six Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies.  By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the and acknowledge Paramount's .                 Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe.       Thanks for signing up!   Keep an eye on your inbox.     Sorry!   There was an error proce sing your subscription.     What Goff is doing this season has to be considered the best season of his career. He's never ranked this high in Total QBR (sixth) or EPA per dropback (fourth). His ranks are similar to 2018 acro s the board.  2018 vs. 2022 Jared Goff NFL ranksQBREPA/DropbackComp pctYards/AttTD-INT ratio201810th6th20th4th10th20226th4th18th6th9thMost would consider his 2018 Super Bowl run with the Rams his best season. There are certainly some similarities in offensive styles to that team, but Los Angeles' supporting cast was flat out better than Detroit's.The 2018 Rams had one of the best offensive lines in football. It ranked first in ESPN's pa s block win rate metric and seventh in PFF's pa s-block grade. The 2022 Lions are 17th and 25th, respectively, in those  Frank Jackson Jersey metrics.At RB, had 1,831 scrimmage yards and a league-high 21 touchdowns in 2018. Jamaal Williams and both rank outside the top 30 in PFF's RB grades this season.At WR, rank better than in ESPN's pa s catching metrics. Those metrics use NFL Next Gen Stats technology to see each player's ability to get open, catch pa ses and get YAC. Don't forget, Detroit also traded TE before this hot stretch.Finally, the 2018 Rams ranked 14th in defensive EPA per game. The 2022 Lions rank dead last. That explains the disparity in team succe s to this point.It's certainly a nice stretch, but full disclosure, I'm not completely sold that the peak Rams' version of Jared Goff is back. Goff's hot streak has come against five struggling defenses. The Lions' five wins since Week 9 were against the , , , Jaguars and Vikings, who all rank in the bottom half of the league in defensive EPA per game. Minnesota, in particular, has one of the worst secondaries in the league.Next up, Detroit travels to MetLife Stadium to play the , who have the second-best coverage unit and best defense in the league, according to Pro Football Focus grades. Goff has thrown just two touchdown pa ses on the road this year and notably lost, 29-0, to the on the road in Week 5, probably  Stanley Johnson Jersey their toughest matchup of the season prior to this one.If they can win, they'll likely be a half-game back of a playoff spot with three games to go, all against teams with a losing record. I want to see Goff and the Lions deliver in New York, and then beat the teams they should beat, before crowning him, but he's certainly put himself in a good position for the stretch run and beyond.
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