The Biggest Sign of Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff’s Improvement? It’s When He Throws The Ball Away.

Through four games, Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff has shown that he’s a vastly different player than he was in 2016. His completion percentage has increased from 54.6 to 66.7 and Goff now sports a 112.2 quarterback rating, almost doubling his 63.6 rating from last year.

And most importantly (in my opinion), through 117 pass attempts, Jared Goff has only thrown one interception.

The last stat is telling. Jared Goff isn’t forcing the ball to his receivers like he was last year. Even with much more talented pass catchers, Goff has learned from coaches that if he doesn’t like the coverage, he doesn’t need to make an amazing pass. He can simply toss the ball over to the Gatorade jugs and try against on the next play.

The fact that Coach Sean McVay and offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur have given Goff this free pass to just throw the ball away when the coverage is too tight is key — that’s exactly what he needs: permission to let a play collapse without a turnover.

Watch the first passing play during the Week 3 victory against the San Francisco 49ers. He just moves around the backfield like a guy who’s not trying too hard. And that’s fine with me. Goff has been playing like the opposite of Brett Farve — more unflappable than emotional.

Now that Jared Goff has OT Andrew Whitworth and a sense of what the hell is going on with the offensive schemes, he can finally just play football.

Every time Jared Goff intentionally sails the ball over to the coaching staff, I nod my head in relief. He’s playing smart. He’s playing within his talent.

We still don't know exactly what the ceiling will be for the Mighty Goff. Is he going to be an Alex Smith? Joe Flacco? Or will he surpass them and transform himself into a top-tier QB like Matt Ryan? I’m hoping for the latter.

In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy the fact that the Rams have a starting quarterback we can win with. And from what we’ve seen this season, it looks as though he’s going to get better by letting his big plays come naturally.