It was a tense regular season finale for the Los Angeles Rams as they battled the Arizona Cardinals, working desperately to help make sure they landed a playoff spot after dropping two straight to close out the month of December. To make matters worse, they were facing the Cardinals without franchise quarterback Jared Goff, who underwent thumb surgery and was replaced by backup John Wolford. They'd go on to defeat Arizona to the tune of 18-7 and celebrate afterward, having stamped their ticket to the playoffs, but now the question turns to Goff's availability for the NFC Wild-Card round.
Speaking to media following the victory in the regular season finale, head coach Sean McVay made it clear he is "not sure on that right now," a statement that is likely to make Rams faithful exceedingly nervous. What McVay is sure about, however, is what he feels he saw from Wolford in the absence of Goff.
"He made plays," McVay said, via Pro Football Talk. "I know there is guys around him that are capable of making some of those and I expect those guys to be able to do that, but I thought that he really gave us a chance offensively with the amount of plays that he made in the pass game with his legs, athleticism, being able to extend things. I thought he was outstanding against a really tough defense that came ready to go. I was really pleased with John."
While true in a way, on the whole, it wasn't a lights out day for Wolford as a passer. The 25-year-old did much of his damage as a ball carrier, finishing with a team-high 56 rushing yards on six timely carries. From the pocket, he finished with 231 passing yards with no touchdowns and one interception, completing just 22 of his 38 pass attempts for a passer rating of 64.7. With a third go at the Seahawks -- whose defense has come alive the past several weeks -- Goff's ability to make plays in the air will be paramount.
As the Rams fire up practice this week, Goff's name is the one to watch. If he's still unable to go on Saturday, Jan. 9, it'll be Wolford getting the nod against Pete Carroll's bunch. It would be only the second start in Wolford's professional career, and his first-ever playoff experience. It's Carroll's 17th playoff game since taking the reins as the Seahawks head coach, making it advantage Seahawks if Goff is ruled out.
Of course, this could be gamesmanship by McVay, but time will tell.
