Well, here's a place I didn't think we get to any time soon, but here we are. Life moves at you pretty fast and all of that stuff that Ferris Buhler said. The Lions hype is at a place that I can easily say I've never seen it be. It took a step beyond that place on Friday. 

NFL Network's Adam Schein ranked his top 10 dark horses to win the NFL MVP. Schein is really taking some swings on this list. He's got guys like Derek Carr and Geno Smith on there. still, it feels like the hardest swing he took is when he listed Jared Goff as an option. 

Here's what he had to say:

"I'm a Goff fan and 2023 Lions believer. Goff was the second-best quarterback in the NFC last year, behind only Jalen Hurts. That's not an outlandish opinion at all. It's the truth. Just ask my colleague Marc Sessler, who watched all the QBs VERY closely in 2022 and ranked Goff as such himself.

Now, while I believe the Lions can break through into the playoffs, I don't think they'll be true Super Bowl contenders. And while I like Goff to enjoy another fine season under brilliant young offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, I don't think he'll rank among the NFC's top two quarterbacks again this fall. Partially because it appears Dan Campbell's team could be looking to run teams over with a road-grading O-line and overhauled backfield.

Long story short: Goff deserves a spot on this ranking, but he's the darkest dark horse here."

Ok, I disagree with his take about the Lions leaning harder into running the ball a year after posting seventh most passing yards in the league and then adding more pass catchers in the offseason, but that's a talk for another day. 

Where did this come from? Jared Goff was supposed to be dead in the water not too long ago. The Rams had given up on him and so did seemingly the rest of the NFL. Yet here we are. 

Let me say it here. I don't think Goff will win the MVP award in 2023. That doesn't mean that he won't have a good season. The MVP isn't the only guy that plays well. I just think he has a a real uphill battle to even be considered.

Voters seem to have their favorites picked out before the season starts. I guarantee that if you go to Google right now and type on 2023 NFL MVP, you'll see a slew of articles that all feature Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen and maybe Jalen Hurts. The NFL just has their guys right now. Rightfully so. Those guys are all great. 

Not totally sure why Rodgers gets to hang around here after a not so good season. Maybe it's because he's visiting every single place in New York and everyone seems to think that needs to be reported on. Ok, now I'm just complaining. Let's move on. 

What would it probably take for Goff to win the MVP? Well, he's going to have to ball out in a way he's never balled out before. Let's play it out a little bit. 

• First he's going to have to break Aaron Rodgers consecutive passes with not interceptions record. We charted that and it could happen as early as Week 4 or 5. That'll get people talking.
• He's going to have to bump those touchdown numbers up to the 30's. That should be doable. He threw 29 in 2022. 
• Have to keep cleaning up on the ball security.
• It's time to run up some highlights. Everyone loves flashy plays. Keep that deep ball, we were talking about on Thursday, going
• Make sure the Lions beat the Chiefs in Week 1. If the Lions go over there, the rules of the dumb "Quarterback Wins" narrative stats that it was all because of the quarterback. Plus, everyone is going to be watching that game and I do mean everyone. 
• Lastly, while you're at, make sure the Lions keep winning after that. Goff can definitely get some consideration if he leads the Lions to their first ever NFC North title. 

Ok, that's a lot. Maybe there's some other things to do. Maybe get in a Gatorade commercial or something? Goff's name needs to be on the tip of everyone's tongue for good reasons. 

Like I said, its a lot. But it's what it would likely take just to get him into consideration. We're talking about an award that only three guys have won in the last five years. Lamar Jackson snuck in there, so it's not impossible. But, he did have a phenomenal season that saw him sling the ball all over the place and then run for 1,206 yards and seven touchdowns. Jared Goff isn't running anywhere. He's ran for 474 yards in his entire career. 

I would love to see it all go down. Not just because this is the team I cover, but because it's good story. Who doesn't love comeback?  

Feature image by Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports