A near-perfect Jared Goff belongs in the MVP conversation

So there stood Jared Goff, with just over eight minutes left in the third quarter, looking at the best defense in the NFL. Third-and-9 at the Detroit Lions 45-yard line, four points more. Brian Flores' Minnesota Vikings unit shifted into a Cover-0 look, looking more like a punt-blocking unit than a defense and threatening to apply pressure again.

Not that it mattered much. Up to that point, Goff was a perfect 9-of-9 against the Vikings' blitz and was perfect overall, having already captured the longest completion streak in the NFL this season and now ranked in every spot in the top three.

Still, we were confident we were witnessing a chess game, and with time running out, the Lions' quarterback approached the line and pushed the offense into an empty formation. Then the Vikings defense took off its mask, sheathed its proverbial sword and fell into a more recognizable, standard two-high safety look that gave Goff an easier read without an unknown number of defenders rushing toward him. Goff completed a medium-risk ball to Kalif Raymond and moved the chains (remarkable considering opponents were an astonishing 22 of 71 on third down conversions against this unit coming into the game). Two plays later, Goff hit Tim Patrick while Jonathan Greenard, the Vikings' best pass rusher, had his hand in ideal position for a strip sack.

In the meantime, the narrative That Goff was an underperforming puppet in the Sean McVay machine has been proven wrong, although it's still astounding to watch him take control of the NFL's most complex defense like a conductor and force it to buckle. Communication between coach and player was interrupted. He flew without a co-pilot and this was another example of Goff accumulating a kind of resilient cool.

Cool: He now has 20 game-winning drives in his career and, with a passer rating of 150 or higher, was probably just one or two away from setting an NFL record for most consecutive games played in history (although Goff missed that mark, it's him). (now the only player in modern NFL history with four consecutive games with a completion percentage of 80% or better and a QB rating of 140 or better).

Resilient: When the Vikings nearly took the game back after Goff sailed a critical downfield throw that would have been a knockout blow late in the fourth quarter, he still inspired Dan Campbell to make an incredibly risky throw into double coverage bring what had to be perfectly placed to set the Lions up for a game-winning field goal. Jake Bates made it from 44 yards to give the Lions a 31-29 win and the Vikings their first loss of the season.

Cool and resilient. You know, the kind of composition that should make us consider his MVP candidacy more seriously after the Lions surpassed one of the NFL's two remaining undefeated teams and reclaimed the top spot in the NFC standings.

During the final period, which began at 2:32, the Lions seemed to have little idea that time was running out. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson called for a run from their own 34, and then the offense settled down and settled for letting the clock run out to the two-minute warning. Thereafter? Another stretch run that pulled the Lions toward midfield before a brilliantly designed backfield movement and route combination allowed an easy Goff completion to set up the throw he desperately needed to make.

Here Goff was on first-and-10, a situation in which it would have made perfect sense given how well Jahmyr Gibbs carried the ball. Instead, Goff faked the handoff and, as his heels touched the 45-yard line, stepped in a dart that hit Amon-Ra St. Brown just as two members of the Vikings' secondary approached on either side. The completion allowed the Vikings to shut out almost the entire remainder of the period, giving the Vikings offense a chance to recover after the field goal.

Goff finished in the top 10 of leagues this season based on a combination of completion percentage above expectations and expected points added, as well as standard completion percentage. But more importantly, he denied the possibility of chaos creeping in. Detroit was vulnerable after being completely defeated by the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6 after losing Aidan Hutchinson for the remainder of the regular season. This was the kind of pivotal divisional game that could have serious season-ending consequences considering the entire NFC North potentially ends up in the playoffs.

And at a point where we would have questioned Goff in the past – and rightly so – he gave the Lions a unique opportunity to attack the unsuspecting Vikings defense, run down the clock and set up the game-winning field goal. You may not be ready to bring Goff into the MVP conversation just yet, but consider this: Almost all of Detroit's opponents so far have been very good (the Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers), good (the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks). or well, when the Lions played them (the Los Angeles Rams). The Lions still have a lot of their tomato cans on the roster, which could allow Goff to build a resume that makes these types of conversations feel more legitimate.

When he walked up to Campbell after the game, who gave him a casual high-five, the coach seemed eager to engage Goff in a hug or at least something more formal. In case you're wondering where Goff's coach stands on the whole thing.