Aftershocks of the Stafford-Goff trade will last for years

Jared Goff:

Quarterback Jared Goff has been up and down with the Lions’ offense so far, throwing for 1,505 passing yards, just seven touchdown passes, four interceptions, and with a QB rating at 86.9 for the season so far.

While he has limited his interceptions to four he continues with his turnover troubles, as he has also lost three fumbles. His completion percentage of 66.8 percent is nearly three percent higher than his career average. Unfortunately, that accuracy has come at a price. He is averaging just 6.3 yards per completion. That is over a full yard under his career average.

This Lions team is clearly in a complete rebuild on both sides of the football.  and he’s being asked to work with much less than he had with the Rams. His top two receivers this year are TE T.J. Hockenson (311 yards) and RB D’Andre Swift (295 yards). Ironically, the pair’s combined yardage so far this season doesn’t even equal Cooper Kupp’s individual yards.

Goff faces a long adjustment period ahead of him. Just like Stafford, he is still acclimating himself to a new playbook, coaches, and players. That means that his performance should improve through the season as well. Still, he has kept the Lions close in three games this season, only to ultimately come up short.

His best performance was arguably Week 1 where he almost led a comeback against the San Francisco 49ers after falling behind by the score of 38-10. In that game, he threw for 338 yards with three touchdowns. However, he’s really regressed the last two weeks.  He’s thrown zero touchdowns and two interceptions combined.

Trade synopsis:

So what did the LA Rams and Detroit Lions exchange? The actual trade included the following:

This trade is clearly a win for the Rams so far as they have absolutely benefitted from Stafford running the team’s offense.

But it’s way too early to call it a loss for the Lions.  Goff is 27 years old and far from a finished product. Beyond that, the Lions still have several picks from the Rams that could turn into high-impact players. Detroit Lions’ cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu (selected in the 2020 NFL Draft with the 101st pick) flashed incredible ability before injury forced him to injured reserve.  That is just their first of three draft picks. And it certainly helps that the Lions have former Rams executive Brad Holmes as the Lions’ General Manager, overseeing their roster build.

For the Lions, this trade will take at least two or three more seasons to fully judge. At this point, the Lions would just like to win a few games, while the Rams are hunting for a Super Bowl.  As for Sunday, it will be an emotional rematch on both sides, but the Rams should have no problem beating the Lions.