Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff faces criticism for relying on the brilliance of his cast or coaches to be successful. But an NFL analyst recently spoke out in support of Goff taking a stand against this "living off" others' reputations narrative.

In his Los Angeles Rams days, it was head coach Sean McVay, and after his move to Detroit, it was offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. But A to Z Sports' NFL analyst Mike Payton argues that Goff deserves full credit for his own production.

"Sadly for Jared Goff, he's been living off a reputation of the 2020 Rams," Payton noted of the criticism Goff gets. "And there is no quarterback that we do this thing for in the NFL more than Goff, where it's, 'He's only good because of this.' He's only good because of Ben Johnson. He was only good because of Sean McVay."

Goff's criticism stems from a specific win-loss record statistic. He has a 3-17-1 record when starting games without McVay or Johnson on the sidelines up until the 2025 NFL season.

But that statistic is misleading without understanding the circumstances Goff was under when starting those 21 games.

"Goff’s seven starts without McVay in Los Angeles came nearly a decade ago when he was a rookie on a 4-12 Rams team that fired its head coach in December," SideLion Report's Bo Underwood noted in September 2025.

His 14 starts without Johnson as OC in Detroit occurred in 2021 with an all-new coaching staff, a mid-season OC change. The roster was depleted on both sides of the ball, as per Underwood.

In the last three seasons, Jared Goff "posted 7,413 yards, 48 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, a 68.8% completion percentage, and a 99.8 passer rating against winning teams," according to Mike Payton.

Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports argued against the claim that Goff relies on elite wide receivers. Instead, Payton notes that Goff makes those players better.

Wide Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was a fourth-round pick, and Tight End Sam LaPorta was a second-round pick for the Detroit Lions. With Goff throwing them passes, both developed into first-team All-Pro selections.

Jared Goff even put up MVP-caliber numbers with the worst offensive line of his career in front of him last season, according to Payton.

He threw for 4,564 yards and 34 TDs(2nd highest in career) for only 8 INTs in 2025. And Goff might unlock a new level under his new OC in the upcoming season.

Jared Goff unlocking a higher ceiling under Drew Petzing

According to analyst Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports, new Lions OC Drew Petzing uses heavy personnel and a gap-based run game.

Ben Johnson's offense held Jared Goff back vertically, as per Payton. In 2024, Detroit ranked last in the league by throwing only 6.3% of its passes over 20 air yards.

Petzing and passing game coordinator Mike Kafka are focused on opening up deep throws for WR Jameson Williams. This strategy proves Goff can produce outside of Johnson's system.

"This roster is loaded, and Petzing has the tools to take this offense somewhere Johnson never quite did," Payton explained in his analysis.

Jared Goff now has a golden chance of making good use of Petzing's tactics to put the criticism he normally faces to bed.

Do you think Jared Goff can reach an even higher level in this new system? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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Written by

Nisarga Aseem Barkule

Edited by

Rudra Dubey