An NFL analyst just gave Jared Goff the perfect chip for his shoulder

There's lot to support that idea. This is a guy that's been playing through doubt since 2021 when the Rams jettisoned him to Detroit and he was expected to be nothing more than a bridge quarterback playing out his final days as a starter in the league. That's not what happened. He's been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in the last two seasons, led the Lions to the NFC Championship game and got the big pay day. 

So why is there still analysts out there that doubt him? Guys like ESPN's Mike Clay who put out his annual season projections this week and has Goff having one of the worst years of his career. Clay has Goff as the 22nd ranked quarterback in 2024. It gets crazier. 

In 2023, Goff finished second in the NFL with 4,575 yards. Clay has him getting nearly 1,000 yards less in 2024. He's projecting that Goff will throw for just 3,754 yards. 821 less yards. 

Despite finishing fourth in touchdowns in 2023 with 30, Clay has him throwing 10 less in 2024 with him getting 20 touchdowns. He's also projecting Goff to miss two games. 

It's just another example of analysts not wanting to just admit they were wrong. It's really easy. In 2021 I said that Goff was playing his final days as a starter and he'd be a career backup after that season. I was wrong. For some, they just do not want to get rid of that firm grasp on the idea that Goff regressed with the Rams and the guy he was in 2020 is just who he is.

The weirder thing about this is that Clay had Goff at 17th in his 2023 projections and Goff shattered his expectations. So how does he go down in the rankings because of that? 

At the end of the day, this is what Goff and the Lions want. They want to be doubted. It's fuel.