The good: One of the big reasons why the Lions advanced as far as the NFC Championship Game was because of the play of quarterback Jared Goff this season.

Goff was top four in the NFL in passing yards and touchdown passes and top 10 in passer rating. He completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 4,575 yards with 30 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 97.9 passer rating. Best of all, he was reliable, durable, and consistent. He played in all 20 games for the Lions this season and didn't miss one snap due to injury.

He was second to only Brock Purdy with 69 completions of 20-plus-yards and second to only Baker Mayfield in 20-plus-yard touchdown passes (12).

Goff, 29, is coming off arguably his best season as a professional, and with Ben Johnson back as offensive coordinator in 2024, there's no reason to think he won't continue to build on his 2023 season. The Lions and Goff are expected to talk about a contract extension this offseason.

Veteran Teddy Bridgewater was a terrific sounding board in the quarterback room for Goff. Having someone who might see it different from you and isn't afraid to speak up is invaluable. Bridgewater also became a mentor to rookie Hendon Hooker, who the Lions drafted in the third round of last year's NFL Draft.

Hooker came off the non-football injury list late in the year, and coaches and teammates were impressed by his late-season development. He goes into the offseason able to focus on his game and not rehab, and hopes to be Goff's primary backup next season.

The bad: There was a short stretch in the middle of the season where Goff got a little too careless with the football. He threw three interceptions in a Week 11 contest against Chicago that Detroit was fortunate to win. They weren't as lucky the following week when Goff's three fumbles contributed to a loss to the Packers on Thanksgiving.

Goff's 12 interceptions in the regular season were tied for the third most in his career and he also lost four fumbles.

Key stat: Detroit ranked second in touchdowns (16) and fifth in points scored (126) outside the red zone this season. On passes that traveled 21-plus yards in the air, Goff had a 115.1 passer rating with five touchdowns and two interceptions.

Free agents: Teddy Bridgewater (unrestricted), Nate Sudfeld (unrestricted)

The 2023 season looks to be the last in the NFL for Bridgewater as he's moved back to Miami to be with his family and was recently named head coach at Miami Northwestern Senior High School, his alma mater.

Sudfeld tore his ACL in Detroit's preseason finale and spent the year on injured reserve. With Hooker set to take over backup duties for Goff next season it's unclear if Sudfeld will be brought back to compete for that role. Lions head coach Dan Campbell values competition, so there should be a veteran in camp to try and push Hooker.

Draft: It's a big draft class at quarterback with the potential for the first three picks in the draft to all be quarterbacks, led by USC's Caleb Williams.

With Goff only 29 years old and Hooker set to take on a backup role, this is a position that seems pretty set for the Lions when it comes to using draft capital on it.

Quotable: "In terms of Jared, look, I've always had belief in Jared. You guys have always heard me. I don't know what more needs to be said from a leadership or performance standpoint, or what more he needs to do in that regard," Lions general manager Brad Holmes said after the season on what he's seen in Goff and the belief in him to be the quarterback for the future. "I didn't understand why his career was defined after he went to a Super Bowl a second year as a full-time starter. And so, then when he came to us, I always had belief. So, him doing what he did this past year or even the year before, it's not a surprise to us.

"I just know how he's wired. I know the talent he has. I know the leadership he has. I know his mental and physical toughness. I know what he's made about, and I think his peers, and definitely his teammates recognize the same things. So, just happy that what he's done and just couldn't be more proud of everything he's achieved."