Players that are selected first overall in an NFL Draft are usually viewed as a future cornerstone for the franchise. The Rams believed that was the case in 2016 when they selected Jared Goff out of Berkeley to be their franchise quarterback.
While he does deserve the benefit of the doubt for being a rookie, his first season left many fans wondering if the team had made a mistake by drafting the wrong guy. Goff started 7 games that season that all resulted in losses and an ugly 4-12 record. The following season the Rams brought in a young offensive-minded coach in Sean McVay to guide Goff through the ins and outs of the NFL.
Bright Future
That 2017 season the Rams, as well as Goff, improved tremendously. Over the next two seasons, he lead the Rams to a Wild Card appearance, followed by a Super Bowl matchup against the New England Patriots in 2018. The offensive line was one of the best in the league, the receiving corps was flourishing, and Todd Gurley was a force to be reckoned with. Despite their failure to seize the Lombardi Trophy, Goff started to form into the quarterback the Rams envisioned when they selected him first overall in 2016. Just look at the improvement from 2016-18.
- 2016: 54.6% completion rate, 1,089 yards, 5 TD
- 2017: 62.1% completion rate, 3,804 yards, 28 TD
- 2018: 64.9% completion rate, 4,688 yards, 32 TD
The Regression
The future looked bright in LA heading into the 2019 season. However, things didn’t pan out well as the Rams posted a winning record (9-7) but missed the playoffs. Goff, while maintaining the same level of production from 2018, became less effective in 2019. He threw for his lowest number of touchdowns since his rookie season while posting a career-high for interceptions (16). The offense as a whole didn’t click only adding to an inconsistent year.
The team’s 2019 performance could be attributed to a number of things such as injuries and chemistry issues to the offensive line or the lack of a running game. Those issues have seemed to have been solved as the line improved late last season and the Rams brought in a young new running back to pair with Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson. All eyes will be on the fifth-year signal-caller this season and any signs of a repeat 2019 could cause an uproar from LA’s fanbase, especially since the team gave him a lucrative extension through the 2024 season.
Final Thoughts
By no means this is a slandering against Goff and what he has done, but for a leader and his team that is now two years removed from a Super Bowl appearance, time is running out to get back. The Rams are limited with their cap space and many projections don’t favor them making any sort of jump this season. It’s a year to show us that Goff isn’t solely dependent on a run game and McVay to succeed as well as the Rams are a team to be feared.
Is this a Boom or Bust season for Jared Goff or the Rams? Let us know down in the comments!
