Jared Goff did not look as impressive as he did in week one, but the Rams scored nearly enough points to win against the Redskins. The Redskins' defense stepped up, and Kirk Cousins led the Redskins to 27 points. What does this game say to us about the development of the Rams and Jared Goff? Also, what does it tell us about falling in love with early wins? This writer loves the potential of the Rams, and they were in this game late.
Goff is still good
The Rams were tied with the Redskins 20-20 late in this game, and that means that Goff was able to keep the Rams in the game.
That does not make him Joe Montana, but it does make him a consequential quarterback who has had two good weeks in a row. He could turn out to be amazing in week three, and then he could dip in week four. He is a young quarterback, he will make mistakes, but he can keep his team in games even if they are destined to lose. That matters to the Rams because that is how they will keep morale high.
Cousins was good enough
Leading the Redskins to a score late in the game made Cousins a very good asset for this team, and it means that he can make his team much more competitive every week. There might have been questions about apathy on his part if he truly hates it in Washington, but he is now dialed in and performing better.
The NFC East is up in the air, and this team is relying on Cousins to make more plays. Cousins can keep doing that and put this team in the conversation for the NFC East. The Rams, for their part, were able to stop the Redskins from breaking too many big plays, but they could not stop the Redskins entirely. There is a bit of fatigue involved when your young quarterback makes a few mistakes and the defense plays a few extra plays.
Are the Rams competitive?
Well, the Rams are not competing to go to the playoffs, but they seem to be on an upward trajectory at the same time that the 49ers are. What if the Seahawks start to fall apart at the same time that the Rams and 49ers improve? This division could get very interesting because the Rams and 49ers would be a lot younger than the Cardinals and the Seahawks.
That is a fun proposition for people who love football because these two teams play twice a year. They could start to give us high scoring affairs every year that remind us of the old Holiday Bowl or Aloha Bowl. Jared Goff does not stink because he lost, but he is not great. He is getting there. The Redskins are improving, and they must keep pace before the Eagles run away with the NFC East.
