Film Review: Goff's Brilliance Elevates Lions' Offense

Somewhere in the middle of the pile was Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff.

After tossing a touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown, the fifth and final of his afternoon, Goff joined the Lions' party in the end zone by jumping into the 'Lions Leap Zone,' which was adorned by the sign of a fan.

Admittedly, Goff floundered and struggled to get over the railing separating fans from the field. Still, it was a worthy and earned celebration for the 10-year veteran to put the icing on a five-touchdown performance.

In the Lions' 52-21 shellacking of the Chicago Bears, Goff reminded many why he has become so admired in Detroit. With solid protection up front, the veteran showed off the precise timing and ball placement that has been a staple of his time with the organization.

Here's a look at five throws from Goff's afternoon, and how he elevated the team's offense in a bounce-back performance.

Starting strong

The Lions got the ball first on Sunday and went right to work. Last week, the Lions' first five plays went to Jahmyr Gibbs in some fashion. However, the Lions and offensive coordinator John Morton elect to go play-action on the first snap in an effort to generate some flow from the Bears' defense.

Pre-snap, Goff motions tight end Sam LaPorta into the backfield as a fullback and to protect Goff from a blitzing linebacker off the edge. Then, Kalif Raymond comes in motion and with him goes a Bears defender to indicate man coverage.

As a result, the Lions have the Bears' defense right where they want them. Goff fakes to Gibbs, and Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown run crossing routes. Williams has a deeper post, and he does his job in crossing the safety's face to draw his attention.

St. Brown is able to gain separation and Goff delivers a dime for a tone-setting first down on the opening play.

On the move to Raymond

One area where Goff has struggled at points in his career is when he's forced to move around the pocket as the protection breaks down. However, one of his most impressive plays in Sunday's game came when the pocket started to collapse.

The Lions, at this stage, are looking to move the chains after offsetting penalties took away what would've been a sack. Goff drops back in a straight drop, but pressure comes from his right which causes him to step up.

What happens next is impressive, as Goff is able to make an off-platform throw to Kalif Raymond straight down the field for a chain-moving 14-yard gain.

Strike to St. Brown

After the completion to Raymond, the Lions go right back to play-action to once again test the Bears' secondary. Detroit has a bunch set to the left of the formation, with LaPorta and St. Brown packed in tight to the line of scrimmage.

Williams is once again responsible for taking the safety's eyes off the middle of the field. LaPorta, meanwhile, runs a dig route that is designed to occupy the middle linebacker and clear out the middle of the field.

It's also important to note that Bears safety Jaquan Brisker is walked up to the line of scrimmage, giving them just three deep defenders. With a corner blitz coming as well, the safety is responsible for Williams and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson has the other deep half.

When LaPorta runs the dig, St. Brown has nothing but space to the middle of the field. He's got leverage on Stevenson, who is focused on not letting anything get behind him. St. Brown snaps his route off and Goff drills him with a strike.

Thanks to some run after catch, the Lions are able to get all the way to Chicago's 1-yard line and punch it in to take a 14-7 lead.

Deep connection with Williams

All the deep routes to Williams aren't just for show, as Goff and his talented young receiver are able to connect downfield in the third quarter.

This situation comes on a third-and-8, with the first two plays being runs for Jahmyr Gibbs. On third down, Morton dials up some pre-snap insert motion to generate almost a stacked look for the two receivers on the left side of the formation.

Once again, Detroit is playing with the eyes of the safety. Williams runs his route deeper, but the timing is impeccable between he and Raymond's routes. Raymond crosses in front of the safety, which draws his eyes and leads Williams to stem his route behind the defender with inside leverage on the cornerback.

Goff drops the throw in a bucket, and Williams brings it in for his first touchdown of the season.

Precision on display

Goff added a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to St. Brown. The first is the clip below, which is a nifty red-zone route concept that acts similar to a "pick" play, which is a concept that many teams utilize in this area of the field.

Lining up in a trips right formation, the Lions have varying amounts of separation amongst their three receivers. Williams, who is the inner-most receiver, runs a clearout slant to take the slot corner's eyes away from the two-man concept on the outside.

St. Brown does a delayed release on his fade route, while Raymond has an angled vertical route designed to target the outside shoulder of St. Brown's defender. The result is St. Brown getting just enough space, and Goff putting the ball on his back shoulder perfectly for a touchdown.

Final thoughts

Ultimately, the Lions had clear motivations to prove that their Week 1 struggles against the Packers. This started with the veteran quarterback, who had to endure questions about his performance in the first game post-Ben Johnson era.

Goff responded in a big way, with 334 yards and five touchdowns. His precision and timing, two characteristics that have been staples of him at his best, were on full display.

Detroit also had some creativity in its scheme, as John Morton designed route concepts that toyed with the keys that the Bears' secondary were reading. The result was the offense looking like the well-oiled machine that it has been for multiple years under Dan Campbell.