Is there a case for Jared Goff winning the MVP?

The MVP discussion in the NFL has been a crazy one. It seems every week there is a new candidate tossed out there by the national media. Last week it was Brock Purdy. Then Purdy went out and threw four interceptions and got benched against the Ravens.  There's been a bunch of other names flying […]

Mike Payton Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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The MVP discussion in the NFL has been a crazy one. It seems every week there is a new candidate tossed out there by the national media. Last week it was Brock Purdy. Then Purdy went out and threw four interceptions and got benched against the Ravens. 

There's been a bunch of other names flying around this season. Dak Prescott was up there and then he's had two not so great games with turnover troubles. Jalen Hurts was up there and then the Eagles started to skid. For some reason nobody wants to just give it to Christian McCaffrey or Myles Garrett. It just has to go to a quarterback. Lamar Jackson has to be the favorite going into Week 16 after what happened on Christmas.

My question is what about a guy who isn't the favorite? What about Lions' quarterback Jared Goff? Is there a case for him to win the MVP? Let's take a look. 

Wins

There's no secret that I don't believe in quarterback wins and I don't think that they should at all be counted. Aidan O'Connell didn't complete a single pass in the second half of the Raiders Christmas win and yet he'll get credited for the win on that? This is incredibly dumb. 

With that said, I know the voters probably do believe in quarterback wins. So does Goff have them? Yes. He has 11 of them. Are they quality wins? It sort of depends on what you call a quality win. Is it simply wins over winning teams or is it wins when they matter the most or wins in games that were nearly lost? 

If it's wins against winning teams the Lions have a big win over the Chiefs in Week 1. They also have a win over the Bucs. In this department, a win over the Cowboys on Saturday would go a long way. 

What about wins when they matter or comeback wins? Goff and the Lions have those. They just got a big win on Sunday over the Vikings. To me, nothing says MVP like being the first quarterback in 30 years to lead the Lions to a divsion title. That's a huge deal. They also have the Chargers win, the comeback against the Bears and that Chiefs win. 

Overall it's going to be very hard to beat someone like Lamar Jackson who led the Ravens to wins over the Lions, 49ers, Rams, Jaguars and Texans. All winning teams. 

Stats

Does Jared Goff have the numbers to be included in the conversation? Let's see where he ranks out in the big categories:

  • Passing Yards: 3rd
  • Touchdowns: 3rd
  • Completed passes: 2nd
  • Completion %: 5th
  • Passer Rating: 6th 
  • Game winning drives: 2nd
  • 4th quarter comebacks: 3rd
  • Turnovers: 9th

I've been covering this team all year and I honestly didn't expect to see these rankings this morning. Especially with the way that some Lions fans talk about the guy like he's a bum or something. I'll go a step further, a win over the Cowboys and a good game from Goff in Dallas could really change things in the MVP race. 

The turnovers hurt a bit. He's the turned the ball over 14 times this season. That is bad, but it's also not that bad when you consider the turnovers from the other MVP candidates. Lamar Jackson, who is everyone's favorite after Christmas, has one less turnover than Goff with 13. 

Brock Purdy also has 13, Josh Allen has 18, Tua Tagovialoa has 15, Patrick Mahomes has 16 and Jalen Hurts has 18. That 14 suddenly doesn't look as bad. 

Could it actually happen?

It seems pretty unlikely. Although once again, if Jared Goff can go up against the Cowboys and put out a signature performance in a win on national television, he should receive some real consideration. The problem is that this award is almost always going to go to the player that everyone is talking about. That's just not Goff. 

It is Lamar Jackson though. He probably deserves it. I think that it should go to someone other than a quarterback personally. Myles Garrett is my pick becasue he's the top guy on that Browns defense that's keeping that team alive and will get them to the playoffs where anything can happen. I look forward to seeing who gets it in the end. 

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