LA Rams QB Jared Goff TNF performance similar to SB 53

Goff versus the Patriots

The true answer is that quarterbacks take time to develop into reading defenses. For elite quarterbacks, defenses tend to slow down and the offensive scheme seems to ‘click’ somewhere between the sixth to the tenth year of an NFL quarterback. If you study enough quarterbacks, you’ll see the unmistakable pattern develop. Of course, there are outliers who do well sooner, but the group I’d chosen is both elite and relevant.  Goff is well within the ‘norm’ of that small sample. Let’s break it down even more.

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When Jared Goff faced the Patriots in Super Bowl 53, he was judged rather harshly in post-game analysis. But how much of that was overdramatized?  For the game, his statistics were as follows:  Goff was 19 of 38 passes (50 percent completion rate) for 229 yards. He threw for zero touchdowns and one interception and was sacked four times, losing 31 yards in the process. He did rush in the game and did not fumble the ball. The Rams lost that game 13-3.

Thursday Night Football

The same quarterback Jared Goff faced the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football. In this contest, he completed 16 of 25 passes (64 percent completion rate)  for 137 yards.  He threw for one touchdown and one interception and was sacked one time, losing five yards in the process. He also rushed four times in the game for 11 yards and scored one touchdown on the ground. He did not fumble the ball. The Rams won that game by a score of 24-3. Did Goff play so much better on Thursday Night Football to swing the score by 31 points? Or have many just fallen into the rut of blaming Goff when things go south for this team?

I’m not naive enough to believe that I have changed anyone’s opinion. Most open-minded persons have already left the door open to Goff developing into an elite quarterback over time. For those whose minds are made up, the door is closed and nailed shut. Nothing I can present in a four-slide article will change your belief system that ‘Goff sucks’. So be it.