Jared Goff - 2025 Season in Review
- IamCogs
- 7 hours ago
- 9 min read
Jared Goff had one of his most productive seasons in 2025, despite shaky, at best, offensive line play, and missing one of his favorite targets in Sam LaPorta for the last 7 games of the season.
Goff threw for 4564 yards (5th most in his career, 2nd in the NFL), 34 touchdowns (2nd most in his career, 2nd in the NFL), completing 68.0% of his passes (2nd best in his career, 5th in the NFL) and compiled a 105.5 Passer Rating (2nd highest in his career, 3rd in the NFL). but the Lions as a whole struggled, despite being 4th in the league in points per game, consistent play calling, inconsistent offensive line play, and a hit or miss ground game saw this Lions offense go from 4th best of all time, to a worrisome question mark at times.
Goff was sacked a career high 38 times, play calling duties were handed over from John Morton to Dan Campbell midseason, and a rash of injuries on the defensive side of the ball once more saw the Lions struggle to find steady ground defensively, as they would finish 22nd in points allowed in 2025 as the Lions would win just 9 games after coming off a 15 win season in 2024, missing the playoffs and finishing last in the NFC North.
In this review we will take a look at some metrics, some positives, some negatives, and try to predict where this Lions team, lead by Goff, will end up in 2026.
The Metrics:
For more on the information presented in the graphic above, click here.
QB Tier: This is my person opinion on where I believe he should be ranked as a quarterback among the 32 starters: High B, in the QB 8-12 range.
Archetype: Timing / Distributor, Goff makes his bread and butter in short to intermediate timing routes, delivering with accuracy into those levels to distribute the ball to his playmakers, all of which excel at picking up YAC. Goff is the prototypical point guard quarterback.
Grade: This is the alphabetical score correlated to his average game score on the year. When pressure got to Goff, he struggled, badly. This lead to a season that was mainly up and down, this lack of consistency due to pressure put him in the middle of the pack of quarterbacks, giving him a C.
Metrics Breakdown
Quarterback ranking for each category is relative to the 7 quarterbacks graded in 2025.
Metric | Description | Value | Rank |
Avg. 1st Half | Average graded score for the 1st half. | 0.85 | 2nd |
Avg. 2nd Half | Average graded score for the 2nd half. | -0.93 | 6th |
Avg. Game | Average graded score for a game. | -0.05 | 4th |
Good+ Games | Total Games with final grade "Good" or better. | 1 | t4th |
Bad- Games | Total Games with final grade "Bad" or worse. | 2 | 4th |
TPR | Average True Passer Rating. | 123.1 | 4th |
PFF | PFF Offensive Score for the season. | 77.7 | 3rd |
Passer Rating | Season NFL Passer Rating. | 105.5 | 2nd |
Adjusted% | Completions + drops / aimed throws (spikes/bats/throwaways excluded.) | 80.2% | 1st |
On-Target% | Throws that would have hit the intended receiving target (spikes/bats/throwaways excluded.) | 73.7% | 1st |
Positive Play% | Plays graded Above Average or higher / total snaps. | 18.51% | 6th |
Negative Play% | Plays graded Below Average or lowers / total snaps. | 22.15% | 4th |
Neutral Play% | Plays graded Average or Ungraded / total snaps. | 61.31% | 1st |
Turnover% | Plays graded Above Average or higher / total snaps. | 1.97% | t1st |
Big Play% | Great + Elite plays / total snaps. | 5.01% | 5th |
Poor Play% | Poor + Turnover plays / total snaps. | 9.71% | 2nd |
Time to Throw | Average time from when the ball hits the QB's hands to when he releases it. | 2.37 | 1st |
Time to Pressure | Average time QB experiences or reacts to pressure. | 2.25 | 1st |
Pressure% | Total pressures / total snaps. | 27.29% | 7th |
At-Fault Sack% | Sacks deemed QB's fault / total snaps. | 1.97% | t1st |
LOS On-Tar% | On-Tar Throw % behind the line of scrimmage. | 81.4% | 6th |
Short On-Tar% | On-Tar Throw % 1-9 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. | 79.1% | 1st |
Medium On-Tar% | On-Tar Throw % 10-19 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. | 63.3% | 3rd |
Deep On-Tar% | On-Tar Throw % 20+ yards beyond the line of scrimmage. | 44.4% | 5th |
The Good:
Goff's biggest strength is his accuracy, he lead all graded quarterbacks in 2025 in On-Target % throwing with a very healthy 73.7% on target rate, he was also the most accurate of the group in the short level (1-9 yards) hitting a 79.1% rate, and was third best into the intermediate (10-19 yards) hitting at a 63.3% clip. No quarterback in the league attempted throws to the intermediate level of the field more than Goff, and for good reason, Goff excels there.
His accuracy, especially at those levels, are extremely important factors in driving the Detroit Lions offense, as it is predicated on timing based routes that create separation that allow Goff's weapons to catch the ball in stride and pick up YAC at will. Accuracy for Goff at all levels of the field outside of the deep level push into the elite territory.
With Goff's accuracy in these levels, Goff led the league in YAC, compiling 2424 yards after the catch, over 300 more yards than the second place Aaron Rodgers. This is by no means a way to discredit the Lions or Goff, the system very obviously works and Goff's accuracy in these levels has a major roll in it, delivering the ball accurately and ahead of his receivers. Hitting them in stride which in turn allows them to turn up field for YAC opportunities. As a result, Amon-Ra St. Brown had one of his best seasons as a pro putting up 117/1401/11 and Jameson Williams took another step towards being one of the leagues best number two receivers posting 65/1117/7 and a very healthy 17.2 yards per reception, third among qualified receivers.
His ability to throw with anticipation in most cases only serves to help the offense even more, making it more difficult for defenses to clue in on his desired targets.
Goff also has a good feel for when a ball needs air or zip, possessing good touch on his deep throws when needed, allowing his receivers opportunities to get under the ball deep, while this sometimes can cause issues deep middle of the field (3 of his interceptions came in this area), his throws down the deep sideline are accurate, hitting on 10 of 18 attempts.
Goff's ability to read and process defenses pre and post snap are strengths as well, with his pre-snap recognition shining between the two. Goff often identifies hot receivers, makes adjustments at the line, and calls good audibles to put his offense in advantageous situations. He also possesses a good feel for the pocket, navigating muddied pockets well, this ability translates into a 1.97% at fault sack%, tied best among graded quarterbacks, despite having the fastest time to pressure of those seven quarterbacks (2.25 seconds) and despite a slower wind up and release, his time to throw was the fastest of all graded quarterbacks coming in at 2.37 seconds on average, which in turn limited his pressure rate to 27.29%, the lowest of all graded quarterbacks. His ability to process and get rid of the ball quickly limited the damage from an offensive line that took a big step back due to retirements and injury.
Goff was also great out of play-action, hitting a 74.8% On-Target % in play-action throws, amassing 1518 yards, 9 touchdowns and a 112.5 NFL Passer rating, as he remains one of the leagues best when running a play fake.
Just 5 starts saw Goff graded "Below Average" or worse, while he had 5 starts graded "Above Average" or better, the best of which came against the Chicago Bears, where the Lions moved the ball at will against Ben Johnson's new team, as Goff completed 23 of 28 passes for 344 yards and 5 touchdowns, all for a 225.2 TPR and a near perfect 156.0 NFL passer rating. His 225.2 TPR against the Bears was the second highest TPR of the 2025 NFL season
Goff had 6 starts in the 2025 season with a TPR north of 140, and just 5 starts in total with a TPR below 100. Between weeks 2 and 5 he say a streak of starts with a TPR no lower than 131.5, averaging a TPR of 167.3 in that stretch. His 123.1 season TPR is good for 12th in the league.
He also posted one of a the few elite halves on the season, when he put up a 4.05 against the Rams in week 15.
The Bad:
His average level ball velocity means he has to be more meticulous with ball placement and anticipation, especially on deeper throws. Throws not placed correctly, or thrown with adequate anticipation can lead to easy pass breakups or turnovers, this, however was not a big issue for Goff this year, but something worth noting.
Setting aside his obvious lack of mobility, one of Goff's major shortcomings as a quarterback is his ability to handle pressure., and while his can manipulate the pocket well, once pressure gets to him he more than likely is going to be taking a sack. Aside from that, teams that can create consistent pressure (for example, Packers, Buccaneers, Eagles, Steelers, Vikings, and all whom generate pressure at good rates all gave Goff his worst outings on the year) can keep Goff uncomfortable and limit his ability to impact the game with his arm.
His average second half score (-0.93) is second worse only to J.J. McCarthy, indicating struggles to adapt to defensive adjustments. And despite the fairly gaudy statistical output on the season, this rarely translated in the grading, where Goff recorded just 1 start all season that was graded "Good" or better. In turn this lead to the second worst positive play rate, coming in at just 18.51%, and a big play rate that was only 5th best of graded quarterbacks, where he finished with a 5.01% mark, and with just 11 throws graded as "Elite", he finished dead last in elite play rate among graded quarterbacks. His 3rd worst deep level on-target % (44.4%) played a factor in that. Goff attempted just 37 throws to the deep level of the field, completing just 15 of those throws, both numbers dead last of graded quarterbacks who started more than 10 games.
Interestingly, despite having the second best raw completion % on throws behind the line of scrimmage (86.4%) his on target throwing % in that level was sixth worst (81.4%).
His worst graded start of the year, and the worst graded start for any quarterback graded in the 2025 season, came against the Philadelphia Eagles, as the Eagles pass rush made Goff's life a living hell. He recorded a -7.00 grade, including a -7.30 grade in the second half, which saw 16 negatively graded plays to just three total positive, with two of these being "Average" throws.
His end of the season stretch was particularly rough, in the last four games of the season against the Rams, Steelers, Vikings and Bears Goff recorded an average grade of -1.05, lowlighted by a 20.7 TPR against the Vikings. He did limit his below average starts according to TPR to just five, with three of those five coming in at the 90's range, so while he did have a horrendous start against the Vikings, overall he kept his TPR score steady.
The Conclusion:
There's not much insight to offer here when it comes to a ten year quarterback and things he needs to do improve, or clean up. Ten years in the league you've pretty much hit your full developmental window. Goff for all intents has carved a niche spot into the NFL, despite his limitations when it comes to mobility, by being one of the few pure pocket passers left in the game that offer little upside when it comes to mobility.
The knock on Goff may always be his inability to handle pressure, hence the common theme of him coming up short in the playoffs, or struggling in the regular season against teams who can find ways to generate pressure on him. Generally speaking, once you reach the post-season the quality of defense shoots up tremendously. Defenses that can pressure Goff consistently, more often than not, beat Goff. So if there is one thing Goff needs to improve upon it's his ability to play within pressure, upgraded offensive line or not.
I think Goff is one of the most accurate throwers in the league, otherwise. His ability to properly place the ball in the short and intermediate levels is a skill that can easily translate for another 6-7 years in the league, beating up defenses who lack a consistent pass rush or backend speed to play man to man. And with the help of Ben Johnson and Dan Campbell he's taken steps to revitalize his career and take it a step further.
I personally expect a bounce back for the Lions in 2026, and a trip back to the playoffs. With Goff playing at the consistent level he has been since arriving in Detroit.
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