Carlos Monarrez | Detroit Free Press
If all goes according to plan, Jared Goff will begin his career as a Detroit Lions quarterback in about a month.
So let’s take a look at his five best performances in his five-year career with the Los Angeles Rams.
This list isn’t based solely on raw statistics. Weight is also given to statistical efficiency, the quality of the opponent and the significance of the game.
But doing just enough to beat a quality opponent in a big game also doesn’t qualify as a great performance. That’s why Goff’s mediocre showing in the Rams’ 26-23 overtime win against the New Orleans Saints in the 2018 NFC championship game isn’t included.
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No. 5: Nov. 5, 2017
You never forget your first time.
And Goff had two firsts in a 51-17 dismantling of the host Giants. He threw four touchdown passes for the first time in his career, which earning the first of his three NFC offensive player of the week awards.
Goff completed 14 of 22 passes for 311 yards and no interceptions. His touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins was a 67-yard bomb would have made “Dreaj Foge” proud.
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Goff might have flirted with 500 yards passing and six or seven touchdowns if the Rams hadn’t taken their boots off the Giants’ necks. Goff had 209 yards and three TD passes in the first half, when the Rams took a 27-10 lead. He only attempted six passes in the second half.
No. 4: Nov. 23, 2020
Whenever you outplay Tom Brady on a Monday night and beat the eventual Super Bowl champions, that qualifies as a great performance.
In the Rams’ 27-24 win over the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Goff was far from perfect. He threw two interceptions that led to 10 Bucs points. But he was also great when it counted, finishingwith 376 yards and three touchdown passes while completing 76% of his throws and posting a 99.8 passer rating. And that came against a Bucs defense that ranked sixth overall in yards and eighth in scoring.
By the way, Brady completed 54% of his passes for 216 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for a 62.5 passer rating.
No. 3: Dec. 24, 2017
Goff was great with four touchdowns and 301 passing yards in the 27-23 win over the host Tennessee Titans, which was one of the biggest in recent Rams history.
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Goff’s final touchdown, a 14-yarder to Cooper Kupp with 11:51 left in the fourth quarter, proved the winning score that clinched the Rams’ first playoff berth since 2004 and their first NFC West title since 2003. It also marked the first time the L.A. Rams qualified for the playoffs since 1989.
Goff wasn’t perfect. He lost one of his two fumbles and he only completed 58% of his passes. But he did so against a 9-7 Tennessee team that made the playoffs and had a decent defense. Goff also posted a 118.4 passer rating.
No. 2: Sept. 27, 2018
Goff and the Rams could do little wrong this season on their way to the Super Bowl, and the 38-31 victory over the Minnesota Vikings was an early indication it would be a special year.
He had a 158.3 passer rating. Yes, passer ratings are strange metrics that don’t tell the whole story. But they can indicate that things are going well.
Goff was simply amazing in this game. He threw five touchdown passes without an interception and completed 79% of his passes for 465 yards. The Vikings finished 8-7-1 but they had a darn good defense that finished fourth in overall yards. Goff rightfully earned NFC offensive player of the week honors.
No. 1: Nov. 19, 2018
It was simply a Monday night matchup (the Rams vs. the Kansas City Chiefs) made in football heaven.
This one’s hardly a mystery since it was an instant classic and everything you could hope for in a showdown between two giants. It was Ali vs. Frazier, Haggler vs. Hearns, Potter vs. Voldemort.
The raw stats for Goff: 31 of 49 passes completed for 413 yards for four touchdowns, no interceptions and a 117.1 passer rating. He also scrambled for a 7-yard score in the 54-51 win. Goff also lost both of his fumbles, which Kansas City turned into touchdowns.
But Goff shined in the end and when it mattered most by throwing a 40-yard winning touchdown pass to tight end Gerald Everett with 1:49 left.
Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com and follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.