Six key stats that show how great Goff has been...

6 key stats that show just how great Jared Goff has been this season

Cameron DaSilva

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Believe it or not, but Jared Goff has been one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks this season. That’s quite the 180 after he was arguably the worst a year ago, throwing seven interceptions and just five touchdowns as a rookie.

But just how great has Goff been? If you dig deep into the statistics, you’ll find out that he’s improved in every area, and ranks among the league leaders in most statistical categories.

42 percent of his passes have gone for first downs (2nd in NFL)

When it comes to gaining first downs on pass attempts, the higher the better. For Goff, 42 percent of his pass attempts have gone for first downs, which is the second-highest rate in the NFL. Only Jameis Winston has Goff beat in that category at 45.7 percent.

This shows that Goff is not only completing passes at a high rate, but he’s giving his receivers good opportunities to get beyond the sticks.

He leads NFL in yards per attempt.

Only one quarterback is averaging more than 10 yards per attempt, and that player is Goff. His average sits at 10.09 yards per attempt, which is nearly double his total (5.3) in 2016. That might be the most impressive aspect of his game, showing that he’s throwing the ball downfield more and completing passes at a much higher rate. Tom Brady is second at 9.93 yards per attempt, followed by Matt Ryan at 9.32.

Only Tom Brady has more 25-yard plays

The Rams struggled to create big plays on offense last season, largely due to their lack of playmakers and steady quarterback play. However, Goff has changed that in 2017, completing 10 passes for more than 25 yards. Only Brady has more than him (12), many of which came late in Week 3 against the Texans.

Passer rating of 137.3 in the red zone (2nd in NFL)


Goff has been arguably the best red zone quarterback this season, despite ranking second to Case Keenum in passer rating. He’s 11-for-11 inside the 20 for 82 yards and five touchdowns. He has yet to make a single mistake, which is great to see for a young quarterback in his second season.

Highest passer rating in two-wide receiver formations (152.2)

The Rams have three capable receivers in Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. However, when they go to just two wideouts, Goff’s numbers improve. He has the highest passer rating with two receivers on the field, beating out Philip Rivers and Derek Carr, who rank second and third. With three receivers, Goff’s passer rating drops to 91.2, but jumps back up to 143.3 in four-wide sets.

Sixth in touchdown percentage (6.2)


Goff is tied for ninth with five touchdown passes in three games, three fewer than the league-leader Tom Brady, but he’s sixth in touchdown percentage. That measures the percent of his pass attempts that go for touchdowns, coming in at 6.2 percent. Alex Smith leads the league in that department at a whopping 8.3 percent.