NFL QB stock report, Week 10: Jared Goff surges into MVP conversation leading red-hot Lions

Jared Goff 's heater continued Sunday during a crucial victory against the Green Bay Packers .

Playing outside for the first time this season — amid a cold, heavy rainstorm, no less — the quarterback finished 18-of-22 passing for 145 yards and a touchdown in the Detroit Lions' (7-1) 24-14 win at Lambeau Field . It was his sixth consecutive game ( all wins ) completing at least 72 percent of his passes, including three straight of at least 80 percent. He hasn't thrown an interception since Week 3.

Over that stretch, Goff has completed 106 of 128 passes (82.8 percent) for 1,316 yards, 13 touchdowns, one pick and a 137.5 passer rating. He has just 22 incompletions over the last month and a half. Five teams had at least 19 incompletions this week alone.

While the numbers are phenomenal across the board, Goff has gotten off to blistering starts over the last six games. He's completed an astounding 64-of-72 passes (88.9 percent) for 677 yards, seven touchdowns, no interceptions and a 138.3 passer rating in the first half of those games. He's had three perfect first halves and one with a single incompletion.

His precision has been masterful. The running game has been dominant. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson's play-calling has been flawless. It's all working for Goff.

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"The marriage between (Goff) and the coordinator is awesome," a rival executive said. "They have a great mix. If you look at his drop-back rate, it's not great. They do a lot of play action passing, a lot of the quick game. He's unbelievable at that. They have great balance. They can run the ball whenever they want, and they have weapons on the outside. The best quarterbacks in the league have a running game. And the coordinator is on fire."

Goff revitalized his career in Detroit, in part, because he slashed his interception rate. He played smart if unspectacular in 2021 but let it rip a bit more when Johnson took over the offense in 2022. Now, he's again producing like one of the league's best QBs, just as he did with the Rams in 2018.

The question: How will it look if the Lions fall down by double digits and some of the creativity gets taken out of the offense?

"If you can get him into a dropback game, you feel like you can handle those guys," the executive said. "But teams have a really hard time doing that. It'll be interesting to see if someone can stop their run, put him in a dropback game and see what happens from there. Nobody has been able to really do that."

Goff is in a terrific situation, and he shouldn't apologize for it. Quarterbacks shouldn't have to dominate amid chaos to earn their stripes. Rather, organizations should be commended for putting their QB in the best position to succeed.

The Lions have done that for Goff, and he's rewarding them.

Down in Dallas

Dak Prescott's disappointing season took another hit Sunday as he was shelved in the fourth quarter of a 27-21 loss to the Falcons with a hamstring injury. The Cowboys, who fell to 3-5 with a third consecutive loss , would need a miracle to overcome all of their stars' injuries to make the playoffs.

The challenge just got far greater because Prescott is expected to miss several weeks, according to a league source.

Prescott has thrown for 1,978 yards and 11 touchdowns and had been on pace for his lowest output in a non-injury-shortened season since 2018. With eight interceptions, he also was on pace for a career high in that department. His 64.7 completion percentage would be his lowest since 2017.

Prescott hadn't been playing well, but a rival executive thought he deserved to be cut some slack.

"They don't have a run game," the executive said. "They're throwing the ball (too much). They have to throw the ball early because they have a run game that defenses don't respect. The more you put on the quarterback, the more pressure there is, the finer the line is. Then you get boom-or-bust games. If you can play with balance and you have a run game, you're able to use play action and put them in situations where you're at an advantage.

"If you turn the ball over, you don't stop anybody, you get into a game where you're behind, (QBs) take more risks and have more turnovers. The more pressure you put on quarterbacks, the more you increase the chance that it will blow up in your face. That's Football 101."

The Cowboys lost running back Tony Pollard in free agency and have come under fire for declining to make a push for Derrick Henry. They instead reunited with Ezekiel Elliott , who was told to stay home this past weekend for disciplinary reasons . Even still, Elliott only has 149 rushing yards in seven games, while leading rusher Rico Dowdle has 321 yards. They've got the fewest rushing attempts in the league (173).

Defensively, the Cowboys have lost star pass rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence , and they've given up the second most points per game (28.1) in the NFL . They've been blown out by the New Orleans Saints (44-19) and Lions (47-9), and they faced massive deficits against the Ravens (28-6) and 49ers (27-10) before ill-fated comeback bids.

They've too often put Prescott in disastrous situations. Anything less than perfection from Prescott, especially with the Texas-sized spotlight on him, and it's understandable why they've already matched their loss total from the previous three seasons.

Future considerations

Cooper Rush will likely take over for Prescott, but a look at Trey Lance could eventually be beneficial, too.

The Cowboys love Rush's ability to step in and command the offense. He's won five of his six career starts, including a pivotal 4-1 stretch early in 2022 that kept them in contention in a crowded NFC East. But remember, that was as strong of a Cowboys roster as they've had in years, and it could support a backup for an extended stretch.

The Cowboys entered the summer so comfortable with Rush that they were prepared to roll with two quarterbacks if Lance didn't prove himself during training camp and the preseason. But Lance did indeed show enough to earn a roster spot, which is a testament to him for improving in a relatively short time in Dallas.

The Cowboys are in dire straits, just one victory clear of the fewest in the league with upcoming games against the Eagles , Texans and Commanders . If the Cowboys don't start mounting wins, they'll be monitoring their draft outlook more than playoff scenarios.

Rush and Lance are each playing in the final year of their contracts. While Rush has proven his worth as a valuable backup, Lance still has the higher ceiling as a former No. 3 overall draft pick. He just desperately needs playing time if he's ever going to sniff that ceiling. This might be a golden opportunity to stack some appearances.

It's still tricky, though. Prescott just signed a four-year, $240 million contract , so he's not going anywhere for quite some time. If the Cowboys showcase Lance and he plays well, he might get a chance to compete for a fringe starting job in 2025. The Cowboys' only tangible reward could be an improved outlook in the compensatory draft pick formula.

Intangibly, there's value in showing an organization can develop a young quarterback. Or maybe, if Lance plays well and doesn't like his the offseason opportunities to sign elsewhere, it could make sense for both sides to re-up.

The Cowboys were excited to take a chance on Lance in 2023, knowing full well Prescott would be their starter with Rush a suitable backup. But they wanted to see if Lance could develop. They may never get a more ideal opportunity to assess his growth with Prescott out for a bit.

Maye's highs and lows

Drake Maye had his first signature moment Sunday, driving the New England Patriots for a game-tying score at the buzzer in Nashville with an epic 5-yard touchdown pass to running back Rhamondre Stevenson . Maye threw the ball 12 seconds after taking the snap, scrambling around the field as two receivers were doubled while tight end Hunter Henry took himself out of the play by running out of the back of the end zone before the heave to Stevenson.

Maye finished 29-of-41 passing for 206 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the 20-17 overtime loss to the Titans . He also ran for a team-high 95 yards and lost a fumble.

His three turnovers were the result of trying to do too much — due to an obvious lack of experience and also potentially because he knows he hasn't been getting enough help . He'll clean up those mistakes over time. That's just a byproduct of rolling out a young quarterback.

There is a much bigger concern with Maye. He suffered a concussion last week against the Jets and hit his head hard on the turf at least three times against the Titans. He also was a little reckless in taking an unnecessary hit on a late fourth-quarter scramble. Those extra couple yards aren't worth the risk of injury.

Maye needs to do a better job of protecting himself by ensuring his head isn't as vulnerable to slamming into the turf. That is, in fact, a skill that quarterbacks have worked to improve, and it's got to be part of Maye's thought process.

It should naturally get better as the game slows down with added experience, but there's got to be a conscious effort to improve it now.

Rankings notes

Will Levis has missed three consecutive games with a shoulder injury, but he's remained in the rankings because the ailment has been characterized as a week-to-week issue. If the Titans declared Mason Rudolph the starter, he'd supplant Levis in the rankings.

It's a similar situation with Gardner Minshew , who was benched Sunday for the third time this season . It's possible Desmond Ridder is declared the starter after the bye week. But until that happens, Minshew remains on the list.

C.J. Stroud 's recent dry spell yielded a shuffle in the top five. Stroud had been the third-ranked QB for seven of the last eight weeks, including four in a row. Josh Allen moved up after four consecutive weeks at No. 4, and Joe Burrow climbed after five straight weeks at No. 5.

Dropped out: Anthony Richardson (benched), No. 28 last week.

(Photo: Stacy Revere / )