Good, in-depth questions from the mailbag this week. Let’s get you some answers.
Detroit Lions
From Ronnie (@Tray4o): Do you think Jared Goff is one of the most under-appreciated NFL QBs today?
Ronnie, yes, I do. Let’s do a blind test, with statistics from the past two years.
Quarterback A: 31 games, 666-of-1,038 (64.2%), 7,727 yds, 44 TDs, 19 INTs, 93.07 rating
Quarterback B: 34 games, 797-of-1,144 (69.7%), 9,204 yds, 67 TDs, 24 INTs, 104.44 rating
Quarterback C: 32 games, 793-of-1,178 (67.3%), 8,111 yds, 53 TDs , 25 INTs, 93.02 rating
Quarterback A? That’s Matthew Stafford—and, of course, Goff was the salary dump in his trade from the Lions to the Rams four-and-a-half years ago. Quarterback B is Patrick Mahomes, the three-time Super Bowl champion and MVP, and two-time league MVP. And Quarterback C is … you guessed it, Jared Thomas Goff.
That’s not to say he’s better than those two other guys. It is to say that perception drives a lot of this stuff, and I think folks have real trouble seeing a former first-round pick discarded by the teams that drafted them fairly. It happens with Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Geno Smith, and I think it’ll affect the way people assess Daniel Jones as a Colt, too. And it most certainly affects how people see Goff.
From doug mccready (@dgmccready): The Lions shocked the world on Monday night in Baltimore. Does this propel them to conference favorites with Philly?
Doug, I don’t see why not. Last week, after the Lions trounced the Bears, I had Jahmyr Gibbs on the phone, and the big question I wanted an answer to wasn’t complicated: What happened to you guys in Week 1?
Obviously, part of it was a Packers defense that now appears to have ascended to an elite level. Still, given how prolific the Lions have been the past two years on offense, that they’d be held out of the end zone until garbage time, even with the loss of Ben Johnson accounted for, was stunning. Gibbs explained to me that Detroit had communication issues that short-circuited everything at Lambeau. That made sense, given that this was the first game after Detroit lost two of its three chief communicators (QB, OC, center) in the offseason.
So with the lessons from that in tow, over the two games since, the Lions have scored 90 points, totaling 937 yards. They’ve been balanced (401 yards rushing/536 yards passing) and efficient (7.6 yards per play), and controlled every game through an offensive line that’s given the Dan Campbell program its identity over the past few years, but has two new, young starters at guard, in second-year man Christian Mahogany and rookie Tate Ratledge.
In other words, after a quick adjustment period, the Lions are the Lions again.
Miami Dolphins
From Marcus Freeman (@Freeman_walkin): Dolphins don’t need Minkah, send to Dallas?
Marcus (assuming you’re not the Marcus Freeman, but maybe I’m wrong), I don’t think we’re at the point where you’d start a fire sale. However, we may not be that far off from it.
The Dolphins’ next four games: Jets, at Panthers, Chargers, at Browns. That’s manageable. And if they stumble, that wouldn’t just be damaging for any hope they have of returning to the postseason. It’d be a clear sign, given the opponents, that this season isn’t going anywhere, and it’s time to start to look at moving guys who might not be around in 2026.
Now, you’re asking about Dallas. Despite what Jerry Jones said about the team potentially moving the picks from the Micah Parsons trade, I’m not sure I see a big all-in move from them coming. But the Dolphins do have several players who could have some value to other teams. If they’re willing to eat some money, Miami could find a market for Tyreek Hill or veteran pass rushers Bradley Chubb and Jaelen Phillips, as well as Fitzpatrick.
Las Vegas Raiders
From MarsRaider (@raider_mars): What in the world is going on with the Raiders’ OLine?
Mars, Vegas is just young up front, outside of left tackle Kolton Miller. Guard Jackson Powers-Johnson and right tackle DJ Glaze were Day 2 picks in 2024. The other guard, Dylan Parham, was one in 2022. So it’s not as if the guys that are starting have come out of nowhere, and in Week 1, it looked pretty good. Since, the team is averaging under 3.5 yards per carry, and Geno Smith has been sacked eight times. You’d hope those are just bumps.
You have to give it time. I know that doesn’t really help you right now. But we’re not even out of September, so patience is warranted.
Houston Texans
From Tom Marshall (@aredzonauk): What is going so wrong for the Texans?
Tom, I honestly think it’s that, for right now, at least, they’re not the offensive team they’re planning to be by Christmas—the defense, of course, has been fine. And, the biggest reason why, from my perspective, is the amount of first-timers they’re leaning on.
Second-round pick Aireontae Ersery has flashed big-time potential, but he’s a rookie playing left tackle. The receiver group should improve once Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel get their feet under them as complementary pieces to Nico Collins. Even Woody Marks is showing potential at tailback, with things still murky around Joe Mixon. Then, there’s the guy pushing the buttons—new offensive coordinator Nick Caley.
The idea of bringing Caley aboard was to add more diversity to the scheme and control for the quarterback, which means, in general, more volume for everyone. So if this takes four or six weeks to get C.J. Stroud settled, with bigger goals down the line in mind, as Caley gets more comfortable calling it and the group gets more comfortable running it (similar to what the Bears are going through with Ben Johnson), then that shouldn’t surprise anyone.
The trick from here has to be hanging on in the AFC South race while they get there.
Chiefs vs. Ravens
From Henry Matthews (@henrymHuss26H): Who can’t afford a loss between Baltimore vs. Kansas City on Sunday if they want to make the playoffs?
Henry, I don’t think this is a “must-win” for either; I believe both will be in the playoffs.
In October, the Chiefs face the Jaguars, Lions, Raiders and Commanders, while the Ravens face the Texans, Rams, Bears and Dolphins. Both also have byes. So while 1–3 wouldn’t be ideal for either, there’s undoubtedly room to climb back to .500 before Halloween, and .500 at that point would put either back in the thick of it.
I think we’ve seen, in spurts, what the Ravens can be, with some of the late-game issues they’ve had raising some fair questions (I think the corner spot will be fine, by the way. And the Chiefs should improve as they get Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy back, and as Josh Simmons settles in at left tackle. Additionally, more and more, perennial contenders like these use September to get healthy, and figure things out, which is part of this, too.
Jacksonville Jaguars
From farty (@fartyytraf): Jags were picking fourth, traded QB-level draft capital to get to two, selected Travis Hunter. Emeka Egbuka went nineteen. The Jags could have traded down, picked up some picks, and comfortably acquired Egbuka and I think I'd rather have him straight up.
Farty, it’s fair to ask this question. The Browns loved Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter, but felt that, given the draft drain they experienced from 2022 to 2024 as a result of the Deshaun Watson trade, that they needed to add more than one young player to the equation. So they traded the pick, and the result is what looks like a bumper crop assembled over draft weekend—with Mason Graham, Carson Schwesinger, Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin Jr. already showing high-end potential—and two first-rounders coming next year.
Conversely, the Jaguars’ aggressive move up felt to me like an affirmation from the new guys in charge that they believe they’re closer than people think to having a real contender. Hunter’s playing both ways, as expected, and Jacksonville is 2–1, so it’s hard to get too worked up this early over the results.
But your question is a fair one. If Hunter can fill both spots he plays, and both are premium positions, at a high level, then he doesn’t need to be a superstar at either to have been worth the trade. Where the argument here shifts is if it eventually proves to be too much, because the argument against taking him that high was that he’s not Ja’Marr Chase or Julio Jones as a receiver, or Derek Stingley Jr. or Patrick Surtain II as a corner, and those are the types of prospects that generally go in the top 10 at those positions.
So, yes, if he winds up being just a moonlighter on defense, and he’s not a true game-changer on offense, I’d imagine there’d be a little regret.
Philadelphia Eagles
From axelMTG (@axelMTG): Some teams other than the Eagles have shown they are capable of running the tush push. However, unlike the Eagles, they don't always run it in short-yardage situations. The point of the tush push is that it is unstoppable. So why don't they spam it like the Eagles?
Axel, there are several reasons. The first is the health of your quarterback. Very few quarterbacks are built like Jalen Hurts. With most, you’d want to limit the number of times you run a guy into the line, given the importance of the position and that he has to be out there on every play. The second is that other teams aren’t as invested in it, probably don’t spend as much time practicing or perfecting it, and lack the experience Philly has running it. As such, it probably wouldn’t work if they kept doing it.
While we’re here, and like I’ve said a few times now in a few different places, the difficulty of officiating the play could, to me, be the tipping point for banning it. We’ll see.
Minnesota Vikings
From Gommy (@GommyTallagher): Is J.J. the starter when healthy, or do they stick with Wentz? They built the entire team around him, but I understand winning changes things.
Gommy, the short answer is, yes, I believe J.J. McCarthy will be back in there when healthy.
The longer answer concerns the spot that Kevin O’Connell’s team is in. They went 15–2 last year. They have a lot of veterans they’ve invested in on both sides of the ball. This isn’t a team that’s going to throw the season overboard in the name of quarterback development. So if Carson Wentz plays well the next couple of weeks in Ireland and England, and then McCarthy doesn’t coming back from the bye, O’Connell owes it to his team to at least discuss what’s best for the team.
But right now, we’re far off from that happening, and I actually think McCarthy’s going to be fine, both because of who he is and also who he’s working with.
QB resurrection
From Kareem (@SaudiColt): Is the age of QB resurrection here to stay? And was it Jared Goff who started it all in Detroit? And is it “change of scenery”, coaching, or QBs growing up, or all the above that’s fueling it?
Kareem, I answered this in the video mailbag pretty thoroughly—so be sure to check that out on YouTube.
What I’d say here is that it’s largely the result of what happens when franchises repeatedly fire coaches and change rosters, which is what keeps bad teams at the top of the draft order and in position to take these players and subsequently ruin them. Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Geno Smith and Daniel Jones were all drafted into messy situations (three had coaches fired after Year 1, and the fourth, Smith, was picked by a GM who was thrust upon a sitting head coach), and paid the price.
Goff’s story is a little different. He was drafted into a challenging situation, with a team that was moving and a coach, Jeff Fisher, on his last legs. But then he was Sean McVay for four years, made a Super Bowl, then fell out of favor. So his story is a little more its own than the others. That said, the Lions’ investment in him, commitment to riding out bumps, and creating the right system for Goff certainly contributed to his career renaissance.
The moral of all this, by the way, is that the NFL (and owners in particular) do a lot to screw up talented young quarterbacks coming out of the college ranks.
Atlanta Falcons
From alise (@ajdavis22800): What happens with Kirk Cousins? Do the Falcons keep him or move him at the deadline?
Alise, he has a no-trade clause, so I think it’ll take the right sort of situation for him even approve a trade. And if there were a team that wanted to take a swing, that team would have to have the room, both budget- and cap-wise, to take on what’s left of his $27.5 million base salary for 2025 and fork over a pick or two.
Now, someone could get desperate, and the Falcons could reverse course from the offseason and goose the market by showing the willingness to take on some of the money (to essentially buy a draft pick from whatever team trades for him).
But is it likely that all that happens? I don’t think so.
New England Patriots
From Alex (@Based617): Is Vrabel a worse coach than Mayo?
Alex, it’s been three weeks. Let’s settle down. Outside of the turnovers and penalties on Sunday, the team looked really good. Maybe that’s a “How was the play otherwise, Mrs. Lincoln?” couching the situation. But there’s promise in how the roster is coming along, and I think the quarterback can play, too.
The Patriots made the right hire. Mike Vrabel will be just fine.
Los Angeles Chargers
From Dillon Wait (@WaitOnMeGuys): Can you elaborate to the best of your knowledge on the culture change in the organization and the belief that Harbaugh has instilled in Herbert? Is there any note of leadership changes you have heard about with Herbert? Dude looks different!
Dillon, this is another one we answered in the video mailbag—be sure to check that out.
There, I tell you that I think the improvement of the run game and defense has taken a lot of the pressure off Herbert, and that OC Greg Roman and Jim Harbaugh green-lighting Herbert to leverage his athleticism more has made a difference (Roman and I discussed it in the September 8 Takeaways), too.
If he winds up being the MVP of the league, I won’t be shocked. He looks that good.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Albert Breer’s Mailbag: Why Jared Goff Is the Most Under-Appreciated QB in the NFL.