Los Angeles Rams: Jared Goff getting closer to MVP form
By Hunter Noll
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff took a monumental step forward in his sophomore season. How much longer until he’s a true MVP candidate?
Jared Goff‘s rookie season with the Los Angeles Rams was, simple put, a fiasco. In seven games, the quarterback threw for 1,089 yards with a completion percentage of 54.6. Meanwhile, he tossed five touchdowns compared to seven interceptions and five fumbles.
There are some solid excuses for the Cal product though. You could point to it being his first season in the NFL, or that he entered mid-year. There’s also the poor supporting cast and head coaching of Jeff Fisher.
All of that changed in year two though. Goff was given a full season. With that weapons were added (like the wildly underrated Robert Woods). Fisher was let go and offensive mastermind Sean McVay took over as the Rams’ head coach.
With everything new in place, Goff flourished. The 23-year old appeared in 15 games, throwing for 3,804 yards on while completing 62.1 percent of his passes. Again he threw seven interceptions, this time compared to 28 touchdowns though. There were clear leaps forward in his game, and more to be made. With that in mind — how far off his an MVP-type campaign for Goff?
The first ingredient for an MVP season is a good team. A team that can win (and provide enough statistical help) makes everything that much easier. The Rams have that for Goff. They won 11 games last season and took home the NFC West crown.
On the roster is running back Todd Gurley (an MVP candidate himself) as well as receiver Cooper Kupp to go along with Woods. Then there’s the massive offseason addition of Brandin Cooks. Of course, Goff has an elite-level defense behind him as well.
So he has the team behind him — now it’s up to personal performance.
More weapons should yield more results. The addition of professional route-runner/cornerback burner Cooks adds a new element to the offense. One that receivers like Tavon Austin and Sammy Watkins (while good) couldn’t quite perfect. A combination like Cooks and Woods is perfect for Goff who has the arm strength to hit the home run passes and the accuracy to go across the middle.
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Basically, this is an offense set up for Goff to succeed in. That doesn’t mean he’s a product of the system though. It just means there’s a perfect storm brewing for Goff to dominate. Goff more-than-likely won’t be an MVP this season, or even the next. The Los Angeles Rams quarterback is getting closer though, and should have an MVP run within him soon enough.