Pressure on Jared Goff in Week 1 to prove quarterback worth hefty new deal

Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams will take on the Carolina Panthers Sunday on the road.

When looking at the progress made over the last two seasons, all signs point to Jared Goff being in for another big season with the Los Angeles Rams in 2019 to help the team make another run at the Super Bowl.

Coming up short the way they did in February by failing to score a single touchdown against the New England Patriots left Goff and the Rams with plenty to think about over the last few months, but at least Sunday is a fresh new start for all teams.

As frustrating as it was to watch Los Angeles fail to show up in the most important game of the year against New England, at least what took place can be used as a learning experience.

While plenty of factors will come into play this year when it comes to whether this team has what it takes to earn a third trip in a row to the playoffs, it’s safe to say that Goff will need to be in for another big season in order for this to happen.

From all of the questions surrounding Todd Gurley with his knee to how Cooper Kupp looks after suffering  a torn ACL last November, the Rams’ offense rightfully will be feeling all sorts of pressure over these next few months.

But most importantly, it’s up to Goff to continue showing that he is in fact the right answer for this team under center, and Los Angeles heavily investing in the former No. 1 pick for the long run was the right decision.

Since the Rams have been handing out hefty contracts left and right to key players over the last two years, it seemed like only a matter of time before Goff received one as well since he’s the clear leader of this offense.

Rewarding Goff with a whopping $134 million extension last week made it clear just how confident Los Angeles feels in their beloved quarterback, but also there’s still plenty to prove.

Beginning the new season on the road against the Carolina Panthers will be far from easy for the Rams on Sunday since Ron Rivera’s squad will be extra motivated to start the new year off on a hot note as well, but hopefully Goff will be ready.

Goff has found himself in this situation of feeling extra pressure to prove doubters wrong a few times over the last couple of seasons, and Sunday’s opener on the road in Carolina is no different.

One year after facing the pressure of having to help the Rams prove they were in fact serious contenders in the NFC, and what took place in 2017 wasn’t just a one-time thing, now comes the fun of Goff showing he’s worth every penny of that hefty new contract.

At least for Los Angeles, after another busy offseason along with the extra rest in preseason, Goff should be able to come out firing against Carolina to put the Rams in great position to begin the year 1-0.