Latest QB rankings prove the pressure is mounting on Jared Goff

Jared Goff is on the hot seat for every season he doesn't manage to lead the Detroit Lions past the postseason and into the Super Bowl. That's simply the expectation set for a team that keeps finishing as one of the best in the league, but keeps falling short of their ultimate goal of at least reaching the championship.

Goff, a nine year veteran who is entering another year with high expectations, is now facing some stiff competition at the position from within the NFC North.

The Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears have all re-tooled and begun gearing up to try and snag the NFC North title from the Lions, who have won the division for the last two seasons.

Jordan Love and Caleb Williams got some major help this offseason in the form of additional playmakers and offensive linemen, respectively, and the Vikings have a great team around rookie J.J. McCarthy as we head into 2025. Anything goes, at this point, in the division. And, Goff has to be cognizant of that. There's no room to get comfortable.

Latest QB rankings show Goff cannot get comfortable in suddenly strong NFC North

Goff was ranked as the best quarterback in the NFC North by PFF's John Kosko, but he just missed out on being named a "high-end starter." He was given the label of a "solid starter who has flashed high-end play," which is pretty fair if you've ever seen Goff play. He's a completely solid QB for Detroit, which is chock-full of playmakers to make Goff look even better than good.

However, on his heels is Love, who was listed in Tier 3B of Kosko's rankings and labeled as a "solid starter" who just needs more help. Love's turnover woes have to end in 2025 if he wants to catch up to and usurp Goff, but he has new weapon in Matthew Golden to lean on to make more big time throws in 2025.

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After Love, PFF has McCarthy and Williams in the same tier - Tier 4 - which is also named "young players with a wide range of potential outcomes." Williams didn't get a fair shake at quarterback for Chicago in his rookie year, stuck behind an offensive line with more holes than a pumice stone and without reliable coaching.

As for McCarthy, this will be his first go-around in the league after suffering a preseason injury in 2024 that sidelined him for the whole year. Like Williams, he will get a much stronger shot in 2025 behind a good offensive line - but maybe unlike Williams, he has a ridiculous WR duo in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison to lean on.

Goff is going to have to have an even better year than the one he had in 2024 - so, better than 4,629 passing yards, a 37:12 TD:INT ratio, and a career-best 68.4 QBR. He is certainly set up to do so, so it's on him to follow through.

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