Thanks to another solid performance in a 35-30 win over the Dallas Cowboys, it may be time to add Jared Goff to the list of early-season NFL MVP candidates
While bigger more higher profile names such as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and Matt Ryan already having monster seasons, one name that may get overlooked is Goff, who has done an almost complete 180 from last year.
Last season in seven games played, Goff tossed five touchdowns in 2016, so far in four games this season, he has seven and has thrown for as many yards this season (1,072) as he did all of last year (1,089). There aren’t that many cases of second-year quarterbacks making the kind of leap that Goff has already done.
As of this writing, Goff is in the top five in passing yards, touchdowns and passer rating (118.2)
Thanks to a new lease on life in rookie head coach in Sean McVay, Pro Bowl-caliber weapons around him in running back Todd Gurley and wide receivers Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods, Goff’s name could be included into the rarefied air of top-tier NFL quarterbacks.
At 3-1 and in first place in perhaps one of the toughest divisions in the NFL in the NFC West, Goff isn’t just doing this against lower-tier teams, but against playoff-caliber teams such as the Cowboys and up-and-coming hotshots such as Dak Prescott.
It takes a lot to win and remain relevant in a celebrity-filled image and brand-driven city such as Los Angeles, where if you don’t win, win often, and win championships, you are not relevant.
Look no further than that sparse crowds at the Coliseum, who pack it to see the USC Trojans or out at Chavez Ravine to Clayton Kershaw and the World Series favorite 100-plus win Dodgers. In the case of the Rams, it is nice that they are doing well now, and that Goff is quietly—and quickly establishing himself as one of the NFL’s up-and-coming stars to watch, but in L.A. winning is above all else.
So far, it appears that the City of Angels has its newest one in Goff.