When the Los Angeles Rams meet the Detroit Lions tonight in the NFC Wild Card round, it will be a matchup of two No. 1 picks who were traded for each other. In a weekend of interesting storylines, this is the most intriguing.
In March 2021, the Rams traded quarterback Jared Goff, the first pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, along with two first-round picks and a third-round pick to the Lions for quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was the first overall pick in 2009.
This is the second time the two teams have met since the trade. The Rams defeated the Lions in Los Angeles during the 2021 season.
Jared Goff’s Start in Los Angeles
When the Rams selected Goff in 2016, the franchise had just moved to Los Angeles from St. Louis. The hope was that the team had found a franchise quarterback to start off their second tenure in Los Angeles.
Goff, who played college football at California, had to wait until Week 10 to make his NFL debut. In his first career start, he completed 17 of 31 passes for 134 yards against the Miami Dolphins.
Case Keenum started the first nine games, and the Rams were 4-5 when Goff took over. However, the team lost all seven of Goff’s starts to finish the 2016 season with a 4-12 record. In his seven games, Goff completed 54.6% of his passes with five touchdowns and seven interceptions.
After firing Jeff Fisher during the 2016 season, the Rams hired Washington offensive coordinator Sean McVay to be the team’s new head coach. Goff kicked off his second season with 305 pass yards and a touchdown, earning his first win as an NFL starter.
In 15 games, Goff earned a Pro Bowl invite after completing 62.1% of his passes for 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions, the same amount he had in nine games as a rookie. Furthermore, in Goff’s second season, the Rams made the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
In his third season, Goff took another step forward as his average pass yards per game increased by almost 40 yards. He threw 32 touchdown passes and earned another Pro Bowl invite as the Rams went 13-3.
In the first two playoff games, Goff completed 40 of 68 passes with one touchdown and one interception as the Rams advanced to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, Goff struggled against New England Patriots HC Bill Belichick’s game plan.
Goff completed just half of his 38 passes and threw an interception late in the fourth quarter as the Rams were driving down seven. Los Angeles was held to a season-low three points and lost 13-3 to the Patriots.
In his final two years in Los Angeles, Goff threw 29 interceptions, tied for the third most in the league over the two seasons. The Rams missed the playoffs in 2019 and were eliminated in the Divisional Round in 2020.
Goff Gets a Fresh Start in Detroit
Following the trade to Detroit in 2021, Goff dropped his interceptions to eight in 14 games. But as the Lions went 3-13-1, Stafford was leading the Rams to a Super Bowl victory.
The Lions, however, improved to 9-8 the following season, and Goff earned his third Pro Bowl appearance.
In Week 9 of the 2022 season, Goff started a streak of 383 pass attempts without an interception, 19 behind Aaron Rodgers’ record of 402. His streak now stands third all-time behind Rodgers and Tom Brady.
Goff helped the Lions win a division for the first time in 30 years this season. He completed 67.3% of his passes with 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 17 games as the Lions finished 12-5.
KEEP READING: Why Did the Rams Trade Jared Goff?
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