Most Underrated QB in the NFL? Finally Someone Gets It
Entering his 11th NFL season, Jared Goff just got tagged as the most underrated quarterback in the league by former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks. And honestly? It’s about damn time someone said it out loud.
Brooks laid it out perfectly in his recent NFL.com piece. Goff has become the elite player he was supposed to be when he went first overall in 2016, but the football world is still too busy chasing the next flashy dual-threat to notice what’s happening in Allen Park.
“It is rare for a former No. 1 overall pick to be underrated, but that has become the case with Jared Goff,” Brooks wrote. “In fact, I think he’s the most underrated quarterback in the game today. While the football world and NFL scouting community continue to search for the next megastar with the breathtaking playmaking talents of Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, Goff has emerged as a true franchise QB who shreds defenses from the pocket.”
The Numbers Don’t Lie, Even If You Don’t Want to See Them
Look, we know the talking points. Great offensive line. Ben Johnson’s genius. System quarterback. All the usual lazy analysis from people who don’t actually watch Lions games.
But Brooks dropped some numbers that should shut all that up. Since 2022, Goff has started every game while comfortably leading the league in passing yards (18,206) and passing touchdowns (130).
During that span, Goff also ranks top five in QB wins (45, T-third), completion percentage (68.1, fifth), yards per attempt (7.9, T-fifth) and passer rating (103.4, third). Those aren’t system stats. Those are elite quarterback stats.
“While Goff’s talent does not jump off the screen like the electric dual-threat quarterbacks who have taken the NFL by storm, the veteran’s numbers don’t lie,” Brooks pointed out. And that’s the thing that drives Lions fans crazy. The man is putting up elite production, but because he’s not scrambling around making highlight reel throws, people act like he’s just along for the ride.
Around the Horn
Speaking of people finally giving this team credit, NFL.com’s Eric Edholm ranked the Lions as the second-most likely team to win their first Super Bowl this season. Yeah, you read that right. Someone thinks we might actually do this thing.
Rookie Blake Miller made his Detroit debut at a Tigers game, throwing out the first pitch while getting some friendly advice from Penei Sewell about not bouncing it. The kid seems to be settling into the city just fine.
Meanwhile, undrafted quarterback Luke Altmyer is fighting for that third quarterback spot after what he called a “torturous” draft day. Dave Birkett at the Free Press has a solid piece on what it takes to keep grinding when the league doesn’t call your name.
And Barry Sanders was out at Belle Isle for the American Heart Association walk, continuing to be the class act we’ve always known him to be. Some things never change, and that’s exactly how we like it.
Think Goff is finally getting the respect he deserves, or is the national media still sleeping on what we’ve got in the Motor City? Drop your take below and let’s settle this once and for all.
Finally someone with a platform is saying what we’ve been screaming about for years. Goff is a legit franchise guy and the fact that he’s been sleeping on for this long is honestly wild. This team is different and Jared is a huge part of why.
I get it, the stats are there and I’m not gonna argue with them. But I’ve seen enough comeups from this team to know better than to get my hopes too high too fast. Let’s see it in the big moments before we’re crowning him the messiah.
Bucky Brooks finally said what we’ve all been thinking. Jared is out here putting up elite numbers every single week and people still act like he’s riding coattails. The dude is a true franchise QB and it’s wild how much the national media sleeps on him just because he’s not doing backflips in the pocket.
Look I want to believe this is the year as much as anyone, but let’s not act like the national doubters are completely wrong to pump the brakes here. That said, what Holmes and Campbell have built is legit different than anything we’ve had before, so I’m trying to trust it. Just need to see it happen when it actually matters most.
Been watching this team since I was a kid and I gotta say the vibes are completely different now. Brad Holmes actually knows what he’s doing unlike some of the disaster hires we’ve had, and Goff reminds me of what it looks like when you got a real QB running things the right way. This front office gets it.
The numbers are the numbers, can’t argue with that. But also can’t ignore that we gotta actually do something with all this in the playoffs for it to matter, you know?
This is our guy. This is our franchise QB and Bucky Brooks just put into words what we’ve known all season. Don’t need the national media to validate what we see on Sundays in Allen Park.