The Los Angeles Rams feel they’re getting an upgrade at quarterback by agreeing to trade Jared Goff to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford, giving up three draft picks to get the deal done. By most measures, Stafford is a better quarterback than Goff despite only making one Pro Bowl and going 0-3 in the playoffs during his career with the Lions.
But how did they compare strictly in 2020? Statistically, Stafford had the better year with 4,084 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Goff showed resilience and toughness down the stretch by playing through a broken thumb, finishing the year with 3,952 yards, 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 15 games.
NFL.com’s committee of editors ranked every starting quarterback from the 2020 season, totaling 59 players. Stafford was ranked ahead of Goff on the list, which isn’t surprising, checking in at No. 13.
Stafford’s final Lions season marked the third time since 2015 that he recorded a passer rating of 95 or better and threw for 250-plus yards per game while also failing to win more than seven games — no other NFL QB did that as many times in that span. His escape to Los Angeles has the potential to be one of the feel-good stories of 2021.
Goff was further down the list at No. 22, one spot behind Ryan Fitzpatrick and one spot ahead of Jalen Hurts, which is not necessarily where a $134 million quarterback is expected to be. Turnovers really plagued Goff throughout the season, giving it away 17 times in 15 starts.
He played better in the postseason, not turning it over once in two playoff games, but it was a matter of being a little too late to save himself in the eyes of the Rams.
Los Angeles is in full win-now mode with Stafford coming aboard and although he hasn’t done a lot of winning in the NFL, he does put up big numbers and is as good a leader as there is in the NFL right now.
