GLENDALE, Ariz. — Quarterback Jared Goff had an up-and-down Sunday against the Cardinals, completing 21 of his 31 passes for 220 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
But he was good enough for Los Angeles to defeat Arizona 32-16. And the second-year quarterback also completed enough throws to reach 3,000 yards passing on the season.
When it comes to a quarterback's yards passing, the number "3,000" may not represent all that it used to, given the differences in the rules and style of play in 2017. But it's still a significant accomplishment, particularly for a second-year quarterback who had a rocky rookie season. Plus, Goff reached — and exceeded — that number with four games left in the season.
"Yeah, that's awesome. I think it's a credit to everything we do, everything the receivers have done, the O-line," Goff said after Sunday's game. "Just kind of filling in, trying to do my job and I think you look at what Todd [Gurley] is able to do out of the backfield — that helps us on offense and in the pass game, especially on third-down stuff. It's tremendous, his ability."
Goff has completed 62.2 percent of his 2017 passes for 3,184 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. Sam Bradford was the last Rams' quarterback to have at least 3,000 yards passing and 20 touchdowns in a season back in 2012. Goff is also second in the league with 49 completions of at least 20 yards, and tied for second with 10 completions of at least 40 yards.
With the Rams at 9-3, attention will now turn to next week's marquee Rams-Eagles matchup, which will represent the first contest between the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks of the 2016 NFL Draft: Goff and Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz. The Eagles' signal-caller is having a terrific sophomore campaign of his own, completing 60.7 percent of his passes for 3,005 yards, with 29 touchdowns and six interceptions.
"I mean, obviously it will be fun to play against him, but I'm more excited to play their team," Goff said. He's kept in contact with Wentz, saying he texted with the Eagles' QB a few weeks ago. "I think coming off a win now, we're going to enjoy this one with the 24-hour rule, and then get chance to look at them tomorrow. But they're a great team and obviously one of the best in the league for a reason. It will be a fun one at home, hopefully it will be a good atmosphere and we'll be excited to get after it."
Check out in-game photos from the Rams' Week 13 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, AZ.
