The Los Angeles Rams travel to the Big Easy this Sunday to take on the New Orleans Saints. Unfortunately, for Jared Goff, this game may not be so easy. Making only the second start of his career, Goff will be tasked with outgunning one of the best quarterbacks in the league, Drew Brees. Brees leads the NFL in passing yards, touchdowns, and competition percentage. In Goff’s first start against the Miami Dolphins, Goff had 31 attempts, completing 17. Those 17 completions went for 134 yards. He did not record a touchdown, but he did not record an interception either.
The game against Drew Brees and the Saints’ potent offense will force Goff and the Rams’ offense to produce. With production, comes the need for more passing yards from Goff; and certainly, more touchdowns. In order to accomplish that, the Rams will have to take the training wheels off of Goff and let him loose. Only four of Goff’s pass attempts, against Miami, went for 20+ yards. Goff averaged only 4.3 yards per completion. Wet conditions may have played a factor, but Goff constantly threw to the check down receiver. Short passes was the game plan and Goff showed the ability to execute. Goff protected the ball and relied on his defense to win the game. Unfortunately, the defense held strong for 56 minutes, not the full 60. Goff will not be able to rely on the same shutdown performance against one of the league’s best offenses. This calls for the creation of a game plan that lets Goff take shots down the field.
Goff passed the initial tests; showed poise, made smart decisions, protected the ball, avoided the sack. The Rams now need to see if he can lead an effective offense. In order to be effective, Goff needs to produce more yards, and more points. Thankfully for Goff, the Saints’ defense is one of the worst in the league.
It would be surprising to see Goff successfully outscore Brees, but this is Goff’s chance to really show off. Goff will make mistakes, flaws will be found, and a turnover or two isn’t unlikely. Improvement, progress, growth, that is what Goff needs to display. With that being said, the offensive play calling must allow him to do this. The speed of Austin, the breakaway ability of Quick, and size of Britt, need to be taken advantage of. Give Goff the chance to benefit from the strengths of his receivers. Include Pharoh Cooper in the offense more. Cooper caught his lone target, good for 10 yards, against the Dolphins. Cooper only has three catches for 19 yards on the season. Kenny Britt is 28 years old, and has an expiring contract. The receiving corps of Goff’s future should not rely on an aging Britt to produce high-end numbers. Cooper needs to be developed with Goff. Building an early rapport would allow the rookies to grow together. An investment in the future has already been made, the franchise quarterback has made his first start. Start the transformation now. The offense of the future needs to start taking shape this Sunday against the Saints.
Speaking of rookies, give Tyler Higbee a chance to grow with Goff as well. Higbee saw three targets on Sunday against the Dolphins. He caught two of them for a total of 4 yards. On the season, Higbee has 5 catches for 41 yards. Higbee stands at 6’6” which makes him a big target for Goff. Two tight-end sets that see both Lance Kendricks and Higbee as receiving threats adds variety to the offense. Look for the strengths and attributes of the offense and let Goff explore what he has around him. This Sunday’s match-up against a beatable Saints defense, is the perfect time to see what the rookies are capable of.
The Rams are a team currently built for future success. Both Jared Goff and Todd Gurley are 22 years old. Tavon Austin is 25 years of age. The offense needs to start putting the wheels in motion and build as a team. Groom your prospects for upcoming seasons. Develop their talents, work on timing, build comradery. The Rams have been the youngest team in the league for the past five years. These are valuable moments in the Rams’ franchise. The draft picks need to be worked. Young players need experience. They need opportunities to exceed and excel. A very special bond could form if these young stars can exceed and excel together.
The Rams have not had a winning record since 2003. The fire Fisher campaign is in full effect. The offensive coordinator is the next job that should be questioned. The Rams defense has proven worthy; the offense has not followed suit. The offense needs to change, exploration needs to occur, and talent needs to be discovered. Playoffs are a far-off possibility. The rest of the season needs to be dedicated to offensive development. Caution needs to be reserved and faith needs to be instilled in Goff and his weapons of the future. These rookies need time to build confidence and learn from their mistakes.
Whether the rookies are used more this Sunday or not, Goff needs to produce. Of course, removing the training wheels always increases the chance of failure. But from failure, there is much to be learned. The Rams need to go into Sunday’s game with touchdowns and points on their minds.
Goff’s attempts downfield need to be increased and Goff’s arm strength needs to be on display. If Goff builds off of the safe play displayed last Sunday, his confidence could greatly increase with each lengthy reception. Goff’s stat line target this Sunday should be 250+ yards with two touchdowns. Goff’s 31 attempts against Miami should increase by two or three against the Saints. As stated earlier, mistakes are likely, so if Goff’s two touchdowns are matched with two interceptions, success should not be overshadowed.
How Goff makes mistakes and the type of interceptions thrown are very telling. If Goff’s chances downfield lead to a defender outplaying the Rams’ receiver for a jump ball, then positives can be found within the negative. If Goff throws an interception that is 5 yard from his nearest teammate, then concern can start to mount. Again, Goff needs to show more against the Saints, than he did against the Dolphins.
The Saints will get this victory. The Saints offense will be too much for the Rams to stop consistently. Goff will put up more yards and more touchdowns; but how could he really put up less? Goff will hit the 250+ yard mark and will throw two touchdowns; there, that prediction is a little bolder. Gurley will add a rushing touchdown. In a game that has surprisingly more TDs than field goals for the Rams, they will still lose 28-21. The game will not be as close as the score reflects.
The Rams will never really be in position to take the lead, as the Saints will have the lead early and often. Rams drop their second loss in a row, a skid that will not end until Christmas Eve against the bottom dwelling 49ers. The goal for the rest of the season should strictly revolve around improvement of the offense. Cooper and Higbee need to see more work and the growth of the young players needs to occur together. If the season ends with a more polished and proficient offense, then it can be deemed a success.
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