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Jared Goff is playing at an elite level early in 2017 season

By Sayre Bedinger

SANTA CLARA, CA - SEPTEMBER 21: Jared Goff
SANTA CLARA, CA - SEPTEMBER 21: Jared Goff /
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So far in 2017, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff is killing it. He looks like the player the Rams had hoped he would become…

Too many people had written off Los Angeles Rams second-year quarterback Jared Goff far too soon.

After the Rams traded six draft picks (two first round picks, two second round picks, and two third round picks) to move up and get Goff at the top of the 2016 NFL Draft, the early returns were not great.

In fact, many felt like the Rams had made a colossal mistake and that Goff was a bust after one season. It was hard to argue, really. Goff had played incredibly poorly, while the Rams struggled to one of the worst seasons in franchise history after making the move out West to Los Angeles.

Heading into the 2017 offseason, the Rams’ focus was on putting the best possible staff around Jared Goff, and giving him a chance to ascend quickly. The first order of business was hiring Sean McVay, the 31-year old offensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins.

The reason for hiring McVay? Simple, really.

McVay was the architect of the offense that made Kirk Cousins one of the most odd success stories in the league. Cousins became something of a household name and received the franchise tag from the Redskins not once but twice after he and McVay combined for two pretty prolific seasons offensively in Washington.

With McVay leading the way, Goff had the opportunity to work with a coach who has had a lot of recent success developing quarterbacks, even a quarterback that was on the final year of his rookie contract.

Simply by having McVay in the building, Goff had a chance of being better. There’s been a direct correlation between the Rams’ offensive scheme and Goff’s success in year two, and McVay has obviously helped the game ‘slow down’ for his new quarterback project.

After hiring McVay, the Rams made it their top priority to surround him with the best talent possible. With no first round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, that task was seemingly too tall to take on.

The Rams went into free agency with somewhat limited resources, but they went out and made some impact moves early on, signing free agent left tackle Andrew Whitworth from the Cincinnati Bengals and former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Robert Woods.

Those two moves immediately upgraded the personnel around Goff in year two, specifically giving him an outlet in Woods that could bail him out by making tough catches and being a ‘go-to’ possession receiver, and the move to get a top flight left tackle, even one who is on the back end of his career like Whitworth.

The additions of McVay, Whitworth, and Woods all combined to give the Rams at least a semblance of hope offensively as they looked to give Goff the best chance at success, but they weren’t done there.

In the 2017 NFL Draft, the Rams used three of their top five selections on offensive playmakers, two who are already making a big difference.

Second round pick Gerald Everett is a seam-stretching tight end who has wide receiver speed and ball skills, but the physicality to play the tight end position. He’s already made a huge difference this season as a deep threat in the Rams’ offense, leading the NFL with three catches of 20 yards or more.

In the third round, the Rams snagged wide receiver Cooper Kupp, a player who can play inside in the slot or on the outside (he’s run 54 percent of his routes this season from the slot) and give them another threat deep downfield and in the red zone.

He proved his versatility in week one with a very nice NFL debut and his first score.

As if all of that weren’t enough, McVay and the front office of the Rams set out to make one more move to support their young quarterback by trading cornerback E.J. Gaines and a draft pick to the Buffalo Bills for wide receiver Sammy Watkins.

Finally — a true number one target.

Watkins currently leads the NFL with a perfect receiver rating, and is helping Goff with his confidence on throws deep downfield, as well as in the red zone.

Through three games this season, the Rams are 2-1, and Goff is a major reason why. But would it be possible without the shrewd moves the Rams have made this offseason to surround him with top talent?

Factor in the resurgence of running back Todd Gurley, who had two touchdowns on Thursday night, and you have a clear formula for success. This was missing from Jared Goff last year:

This was Jared Goff’s final season at Cal, where he was moving around and playing with great confidence. Look at Goff as a rookie, having made the decision of where to go with the ball before it was even snapped:

Even back in the preseason, people were saying things like this:

A year ago, there’s no way Goff would have made this throw:

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That right there is the type of throw only made by big time quarterbacks, and Goff is proving through the first three games of the season that he’s clearly one of the most improved players in the league.

He leads the NFL in yards per attempt at 10.02. The only other quarterback who has started a game this season with more yards per attempt is Sam Bradford, who has only played one game compared to Goff’s three.

Goff has completed 70.7 percent of his passes this year with five touchdowns and one interception.

What it all adds up to for the Rams is a chance to legitimately compete for an NFC West title. How Goff continues to progress will be a major determining factor, but as of right now, he’s playing at an elite level and that can’t really be argued.

If the Rams’ offense can keep this kind of pace throughout the season, they are going to be tough for even Seattle to contend with.

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