Rams’ Jared Goff sets rare NFL playoff feat not seen since 1999
Jared Goff went from the emergency quarterback to the hero Saturday in the Rams win over the Seahawks.
There were questions throughout the week if Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff would be able to start Saturday after breaking his thumb two weeks ago. He had surgery on the thumb and ended up being the emergency backup behind John Wolford for the Wild Card matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
That was until Wolford left the game early due to a neck injury. In came Goff, broken thumb and all. So what did he end up doing? He just outplayed a healthy Russell Wilson to lead the Rams to a 10-point victory on the road.
In case of emergency, unleash Jared Goff
The former No. 1 overall pick finished the day with 155 yards and a touchdown on 9/19 passing. Wilson finished with only 174 yards on 11-of-27 passing. And while he threw two touchdowns, he also tossed a costly pick-six.
Goff’s 155 yards off the bench also provided fans with an interesting statistical tidbit.
Jared Goff threw for 155 yards, the most by any player off the bench in a playoff win since Jay Fielder’s 172 for the Jaguars in their 62-7 win over the Dolphins in the 1999 Divisional Round.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 10, 2021
That game was Dan Marino’s last career game. pic.twitter.com/HQXduTlCaL
So Goff set a bit of playoff history not seen since Dan Marino‘s final game. That is quite the feat after his gruesome thumb injury that looked like it could be season-ending when it happened.
Rams fans may be wondering why Goff was the emergency backup in the first place. If he was capable of playing, why not just start him? That may show Sean McVay’s faith in Wolford, who ended up avoiding serious injury Saturday.
9/19 for 155 yards looks much better when considering the circumstances. The most important thing is that Goff didn’t do anything to hurt his team. Wilson can’t say the same after his ugly pick-six that proved to be a huge difference in the final outcome.
McVay now has a tough decision to make if Wolford is cleared and Goff is still nursing his thumb injury. But seeing the way the Rams rallied with Goff, the head coach will ride with the former top pick who signed his mega-extension in 2019.
Next. Seahawks choke vs. Rams: Who is most to blame?. dark
Goff was able to gut it out during his recovery and that speaks a lot about him as a leader. If he does start and struggle, Wolford can also come in given he is healthy.