Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff drawing Tom Brady, Peyton Manning comparisons for this skill

Jared Goff's strong play this season has earned him comparisons to two of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, at least in one aspect of their games.

"I’d put him in that group with (Tom) Brady and (Peyton) Manning as far as the play-action," Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive pass game coordinator Larry Foote told reporters this week. "They sell it, they do a good job selling it and as a linebacker that can be tricky cause it looks the same."

The Detroit Lions have one of the best, most diverse rushing attacks in the NFL, and Goff has used the camouflage the run game provides to fashion his own passing success.

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Goff is tied for fourth in the NFL with 385 passing yards off play-action throws this season, behind only Josh Allen (472), Ryan Tannehill (430) and Geno Smith (400), according to Pro Football Reference.

He's completing a career-high 69.8% of his passes and the Lions (4-1) lead the league with 23 pass plays of 20-plus yards, many off run fakes.

"I’m very aware of it," Goff said. "I don’t know that it’s something that I’m doing more than anything else, but it’s a part of my game that I am very aware of and me and the running backs are constantly trying to do our best to make it look exactly like the run."

Goff has thrived in the play-action game since early in his days with the Los Angeles Rams, and his success throwing after run fakes in L.A. helped shape the Lions offense under second-year coordinator Ben Johnson.

Goff, who played virtually his entire high school and college career out of the shotgun formation — he estimates he ran five plays total from under center during those years, all in goal line situations — said he had to learn to play under center with the Rams and get comfortable turning his back to defenses in play-action situations.

This year, the Lions have run the second-highest percentage of plays from under center on first downs, according to NFELO analytics.

"(Defenses are) going to move around, they’re going to be in a different place when you probably turn your head around, so have an idea of what they’re going to be in pre-snap and what coverage they’re going to be in, and then when you turn your head around either confirming that or understanding that you’re wrong and finding out what it is very quickly," Goff said. "That part of the processing of it was probably the main challenge early on in my career, and as I've gone on, I've got a better grasp of the game and it’s become a little bit more practical every day that’s something that I do to recognize the coverage."

Goff said successful play-action passes require three parts: The offensive line firing off the snap to mimic a run play, the quarterback and running back optimizing their mesh point on the fake handoff, and the quarterback carrying out the entirety of the fake.

" 'Show, snap, shrink' is kind of the coaching point for it," he said. "But I think more than anything is making it look exactly like it does when you do hand it off, whatever that is, whether it’s 'show, snap, shrink' or a similar version of your mechanics. But yeah, making it look exactly as if you were handing the ball off is the best way to describe it."

While the Lions' play-action game is piggybacked by a strong ground game — the Lions rank seventh in the NFL at 141 rushing yards per game — linebacker Derrick Barnes said the play-action passing games that present the hardest challenge are the ones who sell the entirety of the fake the best.

That's why Goff said the Lions' success in the play-action game, and comparisons such as the one he drew from Foote this week, are a tribute to the entire offense.

In huddles, offensive linemen occasionally remind themselves to "think of it as a run" before play-action passes. Center Frank Ragnow said he's conscious of making the same line calls for play-action pass plays that he would for running plays. And having a detailed lead back like David Montgomery in the backfield helps.

"I think it’s just discipline," Goff said. "It’s just focusing on it, making it matter and putting an emphasis on it and putting detail on it."

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff play-action reminiscent of Brady, Manning