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Jared Goff's numbers indoors, at Superdome are reason for optimism
Playing at home is a huge advantage in the playoffs. The crowd is more favorable and there’s no travel required, which are just two of the reasons the home team typically comes away victorious.
The New Orleans Saints have one of the best home-field advantages in sports at the Superdome, making it very difficult for visiting teams to win. That’s exactly what the Los Angeles Rams will be trying to do on Sunday, going to the Superdome for the second time this season.
Drew Brees is outstanding at home, but Jared Goff has been excellent when playing indoors, too – even at the Superdome. His best game during a disastrous rookie season happened to come against the Saints at the Superdome, where he completed 20 of 32 passes for 214 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
The Rams lost 49-21, but it was an encouraging performance by Goff in a hostile environment.
In total, Goff has played seven career games in domes or stadiums with retractable roofs (Arizona, Dallas). Here are his numbers in those games:
149-for-233 (64 percent), 1,728 yards (247 per game), 12 TDs, 4 INTs, 7.4 Y/A, 96.3 passer rating
And here are his stats specifically at the Superdome:
48-for-72 (67 percent), 609 yards (304.5 per game), 6 TDs, 2 INTs, 8.5 Y/A, 109.1 passer rating
It’s a small sample size, but Goff clearly enjoys playing in a dome – as most quarterbacks do. There’s no wind to account for, there’s no rain to make the ball slick and the temperature is always comfortable.
What the Superdome does have, however, is a raucous crowd ready to cause a spike on the decibel meter. Saints fans make it very difficult for quarterbacks to communicate with players and the coaches, often leading to delay of game penalties and false starts.
Goff is just 4-3 (4-2 excluding 2016) in games played indoors, all of which have been, of course, on the road. On Sunday, he’s hoping to win his first game at the Superdome, which would also happen to be the biggest.
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