Rams’ Jared Goff must reverse rough playoff, cold-weather stats to upset Packers

Rams quarterback Jared Goff will start Saturday against the Packers despite undergoing thumb surgery on Dec. 28.  

Goff suffered that injury in Week 16 against Seattle. He replaced John Wolford, who suffered a neck injury, in the NFC wild card victory against the Seahawks last week. Goff faces an even tougher challenge and will have to buck some postseason trends in order to defeat the Packers, who have the top seed in the NFC playoffs.  

Goff will have to reverse a few trends in order to get the Rams back to the NFC championship game:  

Jared Goff’s playoff record

Goff, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, is 2-2 in four career playoff starts. He led the Rams to an appearance in Super Bowl 53 on Feb. 3, 2019.  

Goff lost to the Falcons in his first playoff start in the 2018 NFL playoffs. He led the Rams to victories against the Cowboys and Saints in 2019 before the loss to the Patriots.  

Goff replaced Wolford in last week’s playoff victory against Seattle. The Rams won 30-23.  

Jared Goff’s playoff stats  

Despite that winning record, Goff’s passing statistics in the postseason are not great. He is 92 of 170 (54.2 percent) with three TDs and two interceptions in five playoff games.  

The Rams average 20.4 points per game in those five appearances. 

Here is a closer look at Goff’s stats from his five playoff games: 

Jared Goff in 2020  

Goff finished 9-6 as a starter in 2020. He had a 67 percent completion percentage. He finished with 3,952 yards, 20 TDs and 13 interceptions. The Rams were 4-1 in the regular season against the teams that qualified for the NFC playoffs. 

Jared Goff’s thumb injury  

Goff left a Week 16 game against Seattle with a thumb injury. He underwent thumb surgery the following week and wasn’t expected to play in the wild-card game against the Seahawks last week.  

That changed when Wolford took a nasty hit from Seattle’s Jamal Adams. Wolford was ruled out.  

Goff replaced Wolford. Goff completed  

Jared Goff in cold weather  

247Sports.com’s Allan Bell tweeted Goff’s cold-weather stats earlier this week:  

The first start was against Denver on Oct. 14, 2018, with a game-time temperature of 25 degrees. Goff was 14 of 28 for 201 yards and an interception. He was sacked five times in a 23-30 loss.  

The second start was against the Bears on Dec. 9, 2018, in a Sunday Night Football game with a game-time temperature of 29 degrees. Goff finished 20 of 44 for 180 yards and four interceptions in a 15-6 loss.  

The forecast in Green Bay calls for a high of 35 with a low of 26 with snow showers.  

Jared Goff vs the Packers  

Goff has one previous start against the Packers. Los Angeles beat Green Bay 29-27 in a thriller on Oct. 28, 2018. Goff finished 19 of 35 passing for 295 yards, three TDs and no interceptions in that game to outduel Aaron Rodgers, who finished 18 of 30 for 286 yards and a TD.  

Who is Goff’s backup?  

With Wolford out, Blake Bortles is listed as the Rams’ backup. Bortles is 2-1 in three playoff starts and led the Jaguars to the AFC championship game in the 2018 AFC playoffs. 

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