Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell pats quarterback Jared Goff on the shoulder before a play against the Green Bay Packers during the second half at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., on Sunday, September 7, 2025. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How Sean McVay Continues to Win Jared Goff Debate

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Brock Vierra | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 1:00 PM ET

While the Los Angeles Rams were wrapping up their week one win over the Houston Texans after Matthew Stafford linked up with Puka Nacua to put the game on ice, former Rams starting quarterback Jared Goff was suffering through an awful performance as his Detroit Lions fell to the Green Bay Packers 27-13 at Lambeau Field.

While Goff's stat line doesn't indicate that he had an awful day, the Lions' inability to move the ball into scoring position, something that wasn't a problem for them at all last season, has many wondering if the Lions have adequately replaced former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

The Lions' lowest scoring game last season was 16 points. ESPN's Peter Schrager weighed in on the situation.

Oh, it's very concerning," stated Schrager. "I think the brain drain is real. I think Ben Johnson's already 1-0, and he hasn't even coached an NFL game. I think you see that Ben Johnson brought a lot to that offense. And you get to this Chicago game tonight, and it's like, I want to see what the Bears did, but he was important.

"Now, look, Jared Goff won a lot of games with Sean McVay, and he won a lot of games with Ben Johnson. He don't got those guys anymore. And I think there is a bit of a What can Jared Goff do without those two, even this deep into his career, with all his accolades, we have to see."

The Reality of Jared Goff

When Goff has not had McVay or Johnson as his play-caller, he's 0-16 all-time. Now context is needed. He was 0-7 to wrap up Jeff Fisher's tenure as head coach and subsequently the season once Fisher was fired. Goff was also 0-8 with Anthony Lynn as his offensive coordinator during his first year in Detroit.

To be fair, Detroit was a mess at that time and lost multiple games by sheer NFL stupidity and Dan Campbell's inexperience as a head coach.

However, the point is this. Goff once again opened the door this offseason regarding his trade to Detroit when he wished the Rams organization had maturity regarding his departure during a segment on Netflix's Quarterback.

So now we stand here after one week of action, and it's clear, the Rams do not win on Sunday without Stafford. Systems make players players but proper systems need proper players to run it, and while Goff may have been the proper player for Johnson's system, especially after the Bears' second-half performance on offense proved Caleb Williams has a long way to go in his development, Goff wasn't the proper player for McVay's system.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Rams on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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