You’d figure that Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff would have been a shoo-in for NFC Offensive Player of the Week after his performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars. As a quick reminder, he completed 24-of-29 passes for 412 yards, four touchdowns, zero interceptions, zero sacks, and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. It was only the seventh time in NFL history a quarterback has finished with over 400 yards passing and a perfect passer rating—and Goff became the first ever quarterback to accomplish that feat twice.
But that wasn’t good enough for the powers at be. They decided, instead, on Saints quarterback/receiver/running back Taysom Hill as their NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
In Hill’s defense, he had one of the most unique stat lines you’ll ever see:
1-of-2 passing for 18 yards and an interception
Seven rushes, 138 yards, 3 TDs, 1 fumble
Eight catches, 50 yards
That’s a great game for Hill, and certainly a performance worth celebrating. He’s the first ever player to rush for 100+ yards and three touchdowns while also earning 50 receiving yards and at least 10 passing yards. That’s a lot of qualifiers, though, and we’re essentially talking about 206 yards of offense, three touchdowns, and two turnovers.
Compare that to Goff’s stat line: 433 total yards (412 passing + 21 rushing), four touchdowns, and zero turnovers. He didn’t take a single negative play, both avoiding sacks and giveaways—while also posting the highest expected points added (+34.8) of any quarterback this season (next closest: Josh Allen in Week 3 at +25.8 EPA).
I understand honoring Hill’s incredibly unique performance, but if we’re giving this award to the best offensive performance, there’s really no argument for anyone other than Goff.
