NFL QB Stock Report, Week 10: Jared Goff joins the MVP conversation, leading the red-hot Lions

Jared Goff’s heating continued in a crucial win against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Playing outside for the first time this season – amid a cold, torrential rainstorm – the quarterback completed 18 of 22 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown in the Detroit Lions’ (7-1) 24-14 victory at Lambeau Field. It was his sixth straight game (all wins) in which he completed at least 72 percent of his passes, including three straight at least 80 percent. He hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 3.

During that stretch, Goff has completed 106 of 128 passes (82.8 percent) for 1,316 yards, 13 touchdowns, one pick and a passer rating of 137.5. He only had 22 incompletions in the last month and a half. Five teams had at least 19 incompletions this week alone.

While the numbers are phenomenal across the board, Goff has gotten off to blistering starts in the last six games. He completed an astonishing 64 of 72 passes (88.9 percent) for 677 yards, seven touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 138.3 in the first half of those games. He had three perfect first halves and one with a single incompletion.

His precision was masterful. The running game was dominant. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s play management was impeccable. Everything works for Goff.

“The marriage between (Goff) and the coordinator is great,” said a rival manager. “They have a great mix. If you look at his drop-back rate, it’s not great. They do a lot of action passing, a lot of quick play. He’s incredible at that. They have great balance. They can run the ball whenever they want and they have weapons on the outside. The best quarterbacks in the league have a running game. And the coordinator is on fire.”

Goff revived his career in Detroit by, among other things, lowering his interception rate. He played smart if unspectacular in 2021, but let it rip a bit more when Johnson took over the offense in 2022. Now he’s once again performing like one of the best QBs in the league, just like he did with the Rams in 2018.

The question: What will it look like if the Lions fall behind by double digits and some creativity is taken away from the offense?

“If you can get him into a dropback game, you feel like you can handle these guys,” the manager said. “But teams find it really difficult to do that. It will be interesting to see if anyone can stop his run, put him in a dropback play, and see what happens from there. No one has really done it.”

Go deeper

What we learned in NFL Week 9: The Lions are built to win anywhere, the Eagles are making a jump

Goff is in a terrible situation and he shouldn’t apologize for it. Quarterbacks shouldn’t have to dominate in the chaos to earn their accolades. Rather, organizations should be commended for putting their QB in the best position for success.

The Lions did that for Goff, and he rewards them.

Down in Dallas

Dak Prescott’s disappointing season suffered another blow on Sunday when he left with a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter of a 27-21 loss to the Falcons. The Cowboys, who fell to 3-5 with their third straight loss, would need a miracle to overcome injuries to their stars and make the playoffs.

The challenge has become much greater with Prescott expected to be out for several weeks, according to a league source.

Prescott threw for 1,978 yards and 11 touchdowns and was on pace for his lowest production in an injury-free season since 2018. He was also on pace to set a career high in that regard with eight interceptions. His completion percentage of 64.7 would be his lowest since 2017.

Prescott hadn’t played well, but a rival manager felt he deserved some slack.

“They don’t have a running game,” the general manager said. “They throw the ball (too much). They have to throw the ball early because they have a running game that the defense doesn’t respect. The more you put on the quarterback, the more pressure there is, the finer the line. Then there are boom-or-bust games. If you can play balanced and have a running game, you can take advantage of play actions and use them in situations where you have an advantage.

“If you turn the ball over, you’re not stopping anyone, you’re getting into a game where you’re behind, (QBs) are taking more risks and causing more turnovers.” The more pressure you put on quarterbacks, the higher the likelihood that it blows up in your face. This is football 101.”

The Cowboys lost running back Tony Pollard in free agency and came under fire for refusing to push for Derrick Henry. Instead, they reunited with Ezekiel Elliott, who was told to stay home last weekend for disciplinary reasons. Still, Elliott has just 149 rushing yards in seven games, while leading rusher Rico Dowdle has 321 yards. They have the fewest rushing attempts in the league (173).

Defensively, the Cowboys lost star pass rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence and gave up the second-most points per game (28.1) in the NFL. They were blown out by the New Orleans Saints (44-19) and Lions (47-9) and suffered massive deficits against the Ravens (28-6) and 49ers (27-10) before an unfortunate one Comeback came.

They put Prescott in disastrous situations too many times. Far from perfection from Prescott, especially considering he’s in the spotlight as big as Texas, and it’s understandable why they’ve already matched their loss total from the last three seasons.

Future considerations

Cooper Rush will likely replace Prescott, but a look at Trey Lance could ultimately be beneficial as well.

The Cowboys love Rush’s ability to step in and command the offense. He has won five of his six career starts, including a decisive 4-1 win to start 2022 that kept them in contention in the crowded NFC East. But remember, this was the strongest roster the Cowboys have had in years, and he could serve as a backup for an extended period of time.

The Cowboys started the summer so relaxed with Rush that they were prepared to start two quarterbacks if Lance didn’t prove himself in training camp and the preseason. But Lance actually showed enough to earn a spot on the roster, which is evidence that he’s made progress in Dallas in a relatively short amount of time.

The Cowboys are in dire straits and are one win shy of fewest in the league with games against the Eagles, Texans and Commanders coming up. If the Cowboys don’t start posting wins, they’ll be watching their draft prospects more than their playoff scenarios.

Rush and Lance are each playing in the final year of their contracts. While Rush has proven his worth as a valuable backup, Lance still has the higher ceiling as a former No. 3 overall draft pick. He simply desperately needs playing time if he ever wants to reach the cap. This could be a unique opportunity to stack some performances.

However, it is still difficult. Prescott just signed a four-year, $240 million contract, so he won’t be going anywhere for a long time. If the Cowboys present Lance and he plays well, he could get a chance to compete for a starting role in 2025. The Cowboys’ only tangible reward might be an improved prospect in the compensatory draft pick formula.

There is intangible value in showing that an organization can develop a young quarterback. Or maybe if Lance plays well and he doesn’t like the offseason opportunities to sign elsewhere, moving back up could make sense for both parties.

The Cowboys were excited to take a chance on Lance in 2023, knowing full well Prescott would be their starter and Rush would be a suitable replacement. But they wanted to see if Lance could develop further. You may never get a better opportunity to assess his development with Prescott out for a while.

Maye’s ups and downs

Drake Maye had his first defining moment on Sunday when he drove the New England Patriots to the game-tying score at the buzzer in Nashville with an epic 5-yard touchdown pass to running back Rhamondre Stevenson. Maye threw the ball 12 seconds after the snap and ran down the field as two receivers were doubled, while tight end Hunter Henry took himself out of the game by running out of the back of the end zone before heaving to Stevenson.

DRAKE MAYE MAGICCCCCCCCC!!!!!!!!

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/UvIB3dRi8k

– New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 3, 2024

Maye completed 29 of 41 passes for 206 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the 20-17 overtime loss to the Titans. He also ran for a team-high 95 yards and lost a fumble.

His three turnovers were the result of an attempt to do too much – out of an obvious lack of experience and possibly because he knew he wasn’t getting enough help. He will correct these mistakes over time. This is just a byproduct of introducing a young quarterback.

Second INT of the day for @amanihooker37 seals it!

📺: Watch #NEvsTEN To @NFLonFOX Stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/c30Xd7ti6y

– Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 3, 2024

With Maye, there is a much bigger concern. He suffered a concussion last week against the Jets and hit his head hard on the turf at least three times against the Titans. He was also a bit reckless when he took a needless hit in a duel late in the fourth quarter. Those extra few feet aren’t worth the risk of injury.

Maye needs to protect himself better by making sure his head isn’t as vulnerable to hitting the turf. This is indeed a skill quarterbacks have worked to improve, and it needs to be part of Maye’s thought process.

It should obviously get better as the game slows down with experience, but a conscious effort needs to be made to improve it now.

Ranking notes

Will Levis has missed three straight games with a shoulder injury but remains on the roster as the ailment has been described as a weekly issue. If the Titans declared Mason Rudolph the starter, he would oust Levis in the rankings.

It’s a similar story with Gardner Minshew, who was substituted on Sunday for the third time this season. It’s possible that Desmond Ridder will be declared the starter after the bye week. But until that happens, Minshew remains on the list.

CJ Stroud’s recent dry spell saw a change in the top five. Stroud has been the third-ranked QB for seven of the last eight weeks, including four in a row. Josh Allen moved up to No. 4 after four straight weeks, and Joe Burrow climbed to No. 5 after five straight weeks.

Dropped out: Anthony Richardson (on the bench), No. 28 last week.

(Photo: Stacy Revere/Getty Images)