Three and Out: Goff off to another MVP-caliber start, LBs sizzling, and young players under the microscope respond
Cincinnati — Here are three observations after a second viewing and a night to ponder the Detroit Lions’ 37-24 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Another MVP-caliber start
Oh, man, here we go again. For the second consecutive season, quarterback Jared Goff is pushing his way into the way-too-early MVP conversation.
Coming off a career year, where he reset the franchise records for completion percentage and quarterback rating while throwing a personal-best 37 touchdowns, Goff is performing at an even higher level to open the 2025 campaign.
Detroit’s starter continues to refine his efficiency, which is one of the hallmarks of great quarterback play. In Sunday’s victory, he completed 19 of his 23 throws, averaged 13.8 yards per attempt. He tossed three touchdowns and wasn’t intercepted.
Added up, it’s a nearly-perfect 153.0 passer rating, which is Goff’s second game over 150 this season. The other was a similarly pristine 156.0 against Chicago in Week 2. The difference this week is that the Lions started still-developing offensive tackle Giovanni Manu on the blindside. There’s no metric to add here, but we can collectively recognize how the substitution added to the performance’s degree of difficulty.