Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff is rightly under fire for his poor play in Saturday night’s surprise divisional round loss to the Washington Commanders. Although he enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career, there are legitimate questions about his ability to lead the team to the Super Bowl.
The 2025 roster may look a lot different than it does now, but with four years remaining on his contract that averages $53 million per year, Goff is almost certain to return. With that in mind, it’s no wonder the organization expressed confidence in the veteran’s ability to win on the biggest stage.
His teammates also seem to be supporting him. All-Pro center Frank Ragnow spoke to the media after the loss and expressed his confidence in Goff.
As for any criticism the QB might face after this loss: “I’m going to live with Jared Goff until the day I die. It doesn’t matter what aspect of life, football, whatever it is. One of the best people, a player. Leaders, I will always support him.” — Frank Ragnow.
— Justin Rogers |Detroit Football Network (@Justin_Rogers) January 19, 2025
Ragnow has been the center of Gough for four years. During that time, Detroit went from a perpetual laughing stock to an NFC juggernaut. However, the Lions only have one game to play in the NFC Championship Game, showing that the debate over Goff’s viability is fair.
Regardless, Ragnow doesn’t want to hear any criticism the four-time Pro Bowl signal-caller might face.
“I’m going to ride with Jared Goff until the day I die,” Ragnow told reporters. “It doesn’t matter what aspect of life it is, whether it’s football or whatever it is. Player, leader, you name it, he’s one of the most stand-up people out there. I’ll always root for him.”
He notes that the locker room has clearly rallied around Goff, whose typically stoic personality is complemented well by Dan Campbell’s cocky personality. He threw for the second-most passing yards in the league (4,629) and led the team to 15 wins, so the Lions should at least be able to find success in the regular season.
The playoffs may be a different story. Goff was thoroughly outplayed by Jaden Daniels, turned the ball over four times, and lost to a young QB (Brock Purdy) in the postseason for the second year in a row.
Detroit will go through its standard internal evaluation process in the offseason to figure out what went wrong and how it can improve. Goff’s improved play in January should be a focus of discussion, even if Ragnow doesn’t want to admit it.
The Lions’ defense has a lot of responsibility. It wasn’t all Goff’s fault, and he wasn’t the one who directed the bizarre Jameson Williams trick pass play that ended in an interception. But as one of the highest-paid players in the NFL, Goff needs to uplift his struggling teammates.
There’s still time to prove he’s the right guy. As long as teammates like Ragnow believe in him, he has a chance. But with each failure, that belief can fade and cracks can begin to appear in the foundation of success that Campbell has built.
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