“No Shave November” is a fun tradition for many men, but for Jared Goff, last month was more like “No Touchdown November.” He went all three games in the month without scoring a single touchdown, limping to a 1-2 record and nearly dragging the Rams out of playoff contention.
The end of November couldn’t come soon enough for Goff, and to open the month of December, he looked like a completely different quarterback. Against the Cardinals on Sunday, Goff had his best game of the season, completely picking apart the defense.
Although he didn’t play half of the fourth quarter, Goff still finished with some eye-popping stats. He completed 32 of 43 passes for 424 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t turn it over once, either, which is a huge step for the struggling quarterback.
His 74.4% completion rate is the highest he’s had in any game this season, as are his 424 yards. The two touchdowns he threw also tied a season-high for Goff, and his 120.7 passer rating is the highest he’s had all year.
Additionally, he laid a block for Robert Woods on this 48-yard catch-and-run, which padded the numbers for Goff.
As far as throwing the ball goes, Goff was sharp. He made tight-window throws several times, and was excellent rolling both to his right and left.
The Rams’ receivers did a great job of getting open for him at every level of the field, but Goff also threw receivers open and was sharp against zone and man coverage.
This throw to Cooper Kupp for a touchdown was especially good, fitting it into a small window.
This is exactly the type of performance Goff needed. In his last three games combined, he completed 61.4% of his passes for only 628 yards with no touchdowns and five interceptions. He fumbled it four times in that span, too, which has been a problem for him all year.
Perhaps with this step in the right direction, Goff and the Rams offense can get back on track in time for a playoff push.
