49ers sound off about 'top level' Jared Goff

It's time for Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff to receive his due praise.

Goff has been overlooked for much of his NFL career, often being labeled as a game manager who's only as good as the weapons around him. Despite being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and leading the Rams to a Super Bowl berth two seasons later (they fell to the Patriots 13-3), the quarterback was cast off to the Lions in a 2021 trade headlined by Matthew Stafford going to Los Angeles.

Goff's strong recent play has caught the attention of several 49ers, who are familiar with his game after facing him twice a year when he played for the Rams. The teams will meet in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

"Not to say that he wasn't good when we played him back when he was with the Rams, but I think he's one of the best quarterbacks in the league right now," linebacker Fred Warner said, per NFL.com. "I think he finished, what, top three in passing yards this season. I think, just the delivery of the football, his decisiveness, obviously with the amount of playmakers that he has on that side, I think he's the one that's leading that group."

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan, meanwhile, thinks Goff always showed signs of greatness.

"I think he's shown some of the stuff that he did in L.A." Shanahan said. "... He played at MVP-type level. When they give him a good scheme, when he's got good people around him, Jared's going to always find the spot. He's as accurate as any quarterback I've seen. He can play at a very top level."

After being exiled to Detroit, Goff became even more of an afterthought in the NFL. Whereas the Rams went on to win Super Bowl LVI with Stafford in 2021, the rebuilding Lions finished 3-13-1 in Goff's debut season.  

A 1-6 start the following season seemingly spelled the end of Goff's tenure as the Lions starting QB. But a strong finish and 9-8 record gave Detroit hope for the future. 

Fast forward to the present day, and the Lions are getting set to play in their first NFC Championship Game since 1991. Goff was instrumental in getting Detroit to this point, commanding Detroit to a 12-5 record and finishing the regular season second in passing yards (4,575) and fourth in passing touchdowns (30).

The Lions scratched out close wins at home over the Rams and Buccaneers in the wild-card and divisional rounds. Goff played lights-out in both contests, boasting the highest completion percentage (74.3), second-most passing yards (564) and third-highest passer rating (111.8) so far in the 2023 postseason.

Perhaps even more impressive, Goff is only one touchdown pass away from matching his postseason total with the Rams in half the number of games. The 29-year-old passed for three touchdowns against the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay, closing in on the four he tossed in his six prior playoff games from 2017-2020.

The 49ers will have their hands full trying to slow Goff and the Lions offense. Per FanDuel, Detroit is a seven-point underdog on the road.