By Moses Joshua 
Detroit’s quarterback isn’t the problem — but unless the Lions fix what’s in front of him, his prime could quietly slip away.
Jared Goff is putting together one of the most efficient seasons of his career. The box score says he’s thriving. The standings say something very different.
That contradiction is what should truly worry Lions fans — not about Goff’s talent, but about whether Detroit is setting him up to succeed long-term.
The hidden crisis up front
The biggest flaw in Detroit’s offense this season hasn’t worn No. 16.
It has worn five jerseys.
The Lions’ inability to maintain stability along the offensive line has undercut everything they want to be. The run game has sputtered. Pass protection has been unreliable. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs — a duo built to break games open — have been reduced to inconsistent bursts instead of relentless pressure.
And it has forced Goff out of his comfort zone.
He is at his best as a rhythm passer operating from a clean pocket. Lately, that pocket has been anything but clean.
Goff is producing anyway — and that’s the scary part
Despite constant pressure and a shrinking margin for error, Goff’s numbers are borderline elite:
- 32 passing touchdowns
- Just five interceptions
- 4,036 passing yards
That is franchise-quarterback production. Yet Detroit is barely hovering above .500.
Wins may not be a quarterback stat, but support absolutely is — and right now Goff isn’t getting enough of it.
When the Lions can’t trust their interior offensive line to create lanes or stonewall blitzes, the offense tilts. The running game fades. The playbook narrows. Goff is forced to shoulder more responsibility against defenses that know exactly what’s coming.
A familiar warning from Detroit’s past
Lions fans have seen this movie before.
A gifted quarterback does everything he can while the foundation around him erodes. The team waits too long to fix the trenches. The window quietly closes.
Detroit cannot afford to repeat the Matthew Stafford era — wasting elite quarterback years while patching problems instead of solving them.
Right now, the interior offensive line is unstable outside of rookie Tate Ratledge. Taylor Decker is battling age and injury. And trust in the unit is eroding, which is why Montgomery and Gibbs are seeing reduced impact.
This is not sustainable.
The clock is already ticking
Goff is under contract for three more seasons. The Lions’ Super Bowl window in the NFC is still very much open. But that window is meaningless if your quarterback is forced to survive instead of thrive.
Fixing this will be expensive. It will demand real draft capital, serious cap planning, and honest evaluations by Brad Holmes and the front office.
Because here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Jared Goff isn’t the question mark in Detroit.
The protection in front of him is.
And unless that changes soon, the Lions may find themselves once again wondering how a great quarterback season ended with nothing to show for it.