Detroit Lions QB **Jared Goff**has spent the last several seasons proving doubters wrong.
Since arriving in Detroit, Goff has transformed from a quarterback many believed had peaked into one of the NFL’s most productive passers. Yet despite his impressive résumé, Sports Illustrated isn’t quite ready to place him among the league’s elite.
In its preseason ranking of all 32 starting quarterbacks entering the 2026 season, Sports Illustrated slotted Goff at No. 12, leaving him outside the top 10 and, perhaps even more surprising, behind two of his NFC North rivals.
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Jared Goff Ranked Behind Jordan Love and Caleb Williams
Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame ranked Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love ninth and Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams 11th, placing Goff third among quarterbacks in the NFC North.
The ranking comes despite Goff putting together one of the most productive three-year stretches of any quarterback in football.
According to Verderame, Goff’s advanced metrics remained strong after joining the Lions, but his production dipped slightly following the departure of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
“Since joining the Lions prior to the 2022 season, Goff has posted his second-best EPA (+79.1) and EPA per dropback (+0.13),” Verderame wrote. “However, both numbers dipped from ’24, his final year with offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, and Detroit’s season was disappointing, finishing 9–8 and missing the postseason.”
The Numbers Tell a Different Story
While Sports Illustrated placed Goff outside the top 10, his production over the past three seasons paints a much different picture.
Goff has thrown for at least 4,500 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes in each of the last three seasons, making him the only quarterback in the NFL to accomplish that feat during that span.
He’s also helped guide Detroit to two NFC North championships while establishing himself as one of the league’s most efficient and dependable quarterbacks.
Critics have long pointed to Goff’s lack of mobility and the strength of Detroit’s supporting cast as reasons to temper expectations. There is no denying the Lions have surrounded him with elite talent, including Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs.
Still, production is production.
Few quarterbacks have matched Goff’s consistency over the past three years.
Even Sports Illustrated Expects Another Big Season
Interestingly, Verderame’s own analysis suggests Goff deserves more respect than his No. 12 ranking indicates.
Despite leaving him outside the top 10, he praised the Lions quarterback and expressed confidence that another productive season is on the horizon.
“Still, Goff is one of the league’s best quarterbacks,” Verderame wrote. “He’s thrown for at least 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns in each of the past three years, the only man who can make that claim. In the prime of his career at 31 years old and surrounded by star receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, tight end Sam LaPorta and running back Jahmyr Gibbs, don’t expect a big drop in production any time soon.”
That assessment makes Goff’s placement feel somewhat contradictory.
On one hand, Sports Illustrated acknowledges that no quarterback has matched his passing production over the past three seasons. On the other, it still ranks him behind quarterbacks who have yet to accomplish nearly as much.
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Goff Has Another Opportunity to Silence Critics
If history is any indication, Goff will use the latest ranking as motivation.
Since arriving in Detroit, he has consistently answered every question about his ability to lead a winning team. After being written off by the Rams, he helped engineer one of the NFL’s most impressive turnarounds under Dan Campbell.
Now entering his sixth season with the Lions, Goff once again has one of the league’s deepest supporting casts and another opportunity to remind the football world why he belongs in conversations with the NFL’s best quarterbacks.
Whether Sports Illustrated eventually moves him into its top 10 may not matter much to Goff.
Winning games has always been his preferred response.
Drafted with AI assistance, edited and fact-checked by DSN staff.