Los Angeles Rams: 4 grades for their NFC Championship win against the Saints

For those thinking a grade of B minus is low for Rams quarterback Jared Goff, I’d suggest you watch the first half again where had the game ended after 30 minutes, a grade of incomplete would have been completely appropriate.

But luckily for fans, the Rams quarterback got a chance to regroup, and play a better game in the second half. All in all, Goff wound up with a respectable overall performance in a game that looked to be too big for him early on. Crowd noise, a running game stalled, and the sheer magnitude of the moment were all logical reasons for why he looked as uncomfortable as he did in the first 30 minutes.

For the day, he’d throw for 297 yards, completing 25 passes on 40 attempts. He’d toss one touchdown and one interception. And on a day where running the football proved a tough effort, it was Goff throwing the ball that gave the Rams a chance to not just hang in, but win a conference championship.

In a lot of ways, the third year quarterback found a new kind of game to add to his resume. Going into the game in New Orleans, it was anybody’s guess what kind of effort he’d turn in. No one knew what or how the crowd would affect him. Given a shaky December and a playoff win against Dallas where he had a relatively easy day, how he would navigate a Championship Sunday was hard to divine.

Goff answered the bell.

It took a while. But no longer will people wonder what kind of quarterback the Rams have.