Los Angeles Rams: 5 players who must improve in 2018

1. Jared Goff

After a rookie season that saw his starting debut delayed further than it should have been, even with his struggles, no Ram reaped the benefits of McVay’s hiring more than Goff. He completed over 62 percent of his passes last year, with 28 touchdowns (tied for fifth in the league) and seven interceptions as he finished 10th in the league in passing yards (3,804, with a league-leading 12.9 yards per completion).

But Goff’s NFL learning curve was still steep, as McVay acknowledged calling audibles into the headset for as long into the play clock as he could last year. That kind of babysitting should, and really has to, end this year.

Goff’s 2017 regular season showed his potential, but his playoff performance against the Atlanta Falcons showed how far he has left to go. He completed just over half of his passes (24-for-45) for 259 yards and a touchdown, while taking three sacks (two early in the first quarter). But 102 of those yards came on the Rams’ last two possessions, with the game out of reach.

Goff made good decisions under pressure last year, which fostered a great amount of his progress.

Next: 5 Arizona Cardinals who must improve in 2018

But there were highs (seven games with at least 288 passing yards) and lows (five games with 220 or less passing yards) over Goff’s 15 regular season starts last year. Closing that consistency gap will go a long way toward determining how the 2018 season turns out for the Rams, on the heels of an offseason filled with win-now moves.