Can Goff carry over the momentum from the second half of 2021?

The Detroit Lions saw a change in play-calling 10 weeks into the 2021 season, proving to be a major turning point. The transition in play-calling duties from Anthony Lynn to Dan Campbell coincided with the arrival of Josh Reynolds, both of which seemed to make Jared Goff a lot more comfortable in the Lions offense. Goff’s 11 touchdowns and two interceptions over the six games where Dan Campbell was calling plays extrapolates to about 32 touchdowns and six interceptions over the course of a 17-game season, a stat line that would put Goff in stellar company. Will we see that happen in 2021?

Question of the day: How many touchdowns and interceptions will Jared Goff throw in 2022?

My answer: Part of me wants to say Goff has had a full offseason in the tweaked offense and has added new weapons, so I should drink the Kool Aid and say 40 TDs and a few interceptions. I’ve resisted drinking the Kool-Aid thus far, though, so I’ll say 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

It’s too early to tell whether the latter half of 2021 was a hot streak for Goff or something more significant, so I don’t want to bet everything on him continuing that pace that fast. However, six games is nothing to scoff at, so I’ll give it some weight. It’s important to remember that as Goff sees more games under his belt with this new scheme, defenses may pick up on his tendencies and cause him to cool off a bit. Some of you may remember that as the Jim Bob Cooter effect.

I also think Goff will see a slight uptick in the pace of interceptions he throws, and that’ll be a good thing. Goff spent most of his time under Anthony Lynn hesitant to throw medium-to-deep passes, and fortunately we saw that change after Campbell took over. However, inherent in more deep shots is an increased risk of interceptions. I look forward to that, though, as it’ll show that Goff has the confidence to take riskier throws and trust his receivers downfield.

If Goff shows any semblance of his pace through the last six games of 2021, it’ll be a significant upgrade over the Goff we first saw in Detroit. Here’s to Dan Campbell, Ben Johnson, or whoever the heck is calling plays this year.

How many touchdowns and interceptions do you have Jared Goff throwing this year? Are you drinking the Kool-Aid, or will he cool off? Let’s hear it.