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Lindsey ThiryESPN
LOS ANGELES — His excitement couldn’t be contained.
Jared Goff, known for his even-keel demeanor, ran to the sideline and delivered a celebratory chest bump with coach Sean McVay.
Moments earlier, the Los Angeles Rams‘ quarterback had delivered a strike down the right sideline to receiver Cooper Kupp in stride for a 70-yard touchdown.
The throw was among Goff’s best of the season, but it wasn’t even his most impressive moment of the night in a 38-31 win over the Minnesota Vikings at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum on Thursday night.
Goff set career highs with 465 yards passing and five passing touchdowns. He completed 26 of 33 attempts, threw no interceptions and finished with a perfect passer rating of 158.3. He is the third quarterback in the Super Bowl era with a perfect passer rating on at least 30 attempts, joining fellow Ram Kurt Warner in 2000 and Ken O’Brien in 1986.
“It feels really good,” the former No. 1 pick said. “You work for that. It’s what you strive for. We got into that zone in the first half, and we’re really clicking right now.”
Goff’s previous career high was 355 passing yards, set last season in a victory over the Houston Texans. He had two performances with four passing touchdowns, in wins over the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans last season.
Tight windows? Goff threw it there. Double coverage? Goff dropped it in. Receivers on the loose? Goff hit them in stride.
“It was just great command by him,” McVay said. “I think he’s having fun. No moment is too big for him, and it gives you confidence when you see him playing like this.”
Goff’s five passing touchdowns tied for the most in Rams history and are the most by a Rams quarterback since Warner in 1999. His 465 passing yards are the third-most in Rams history behind 554 from Norm Van Brocklin in 1951 and 509 from Vince Ferragamo in 1982. It also is the most yardage by a quarterback on fewer than 35 attempts since Joe Namath threw for 496 yards on 28 attempts in 1972.
Goff became the first quarterback in NFL history with at least 350 passing yards and a 75 percent rate of completions in three straight games, which helped the Rams to their first 4-0 start since 2001.
In the second quarter, Kupp got behind Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr as Goff found him for the 70-yard touchdown, the third-longest of Goff’s career, to give the Rams a 14-10 lead.
Later in the quarter, Goff rolled to his right, kept calm under pressure and dropped a pass into double coverage in the back corner of the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown to Kupp.
“Jared put it in about a 6-inch box that only he could fit it into,” McVay said. “He had great command and poise all night.”
As if that weren’t enough, the next series, Goff completed a 47-yard touchdown to Brandin Cooks to give the Rams a 28-17 lead.
And then in the third quarter, Goff completed a 31-yard pass for a touchdown to Robert Woods to put the Rams up 38-28.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Source:ESPN
