Rams' John Wolford becomes first quarterback in league history to reach this feat in first start

Wolford made the most of his opportunity when he got his first start due to Jared Goff's injury

John Wolford never took an NFL regular season snap prior to Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, even with a NFC playoff berth at stake for the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams didn't have a choice but to start Wolford after Jared Goff was ruled out with a thumb injury, unsure what they were going to get from a quarterback whose last regular season snap of any kind was in the Alliance of American Football. 

Turns out, Wolford helped the Rams get into the playoffs and made NFL history in the process. Wolford became the first quarterback to throw for 200-plus yards and run for 50-plus yards in his first career start, completing 22 of 38 passes (57.9%) for 231 yards with an interception while rushing six times for 56 yards in the Rams' 18-7 win over the Cardinals. Wolford is just the second quarterback to throw for 150-plus yards and rush for 50-plus yards in his first career start (Jalen Hurts accomplished the feat for the Philadelphia Eagles in a Week 14 win over the New Orleans Saints). 

"I thought he did a great job," Rams head coach Sean McVay said to reporters Monday. "He made plays. I know there are 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."

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Wolford has the most rushing yards for a quarterback under McVay, becoming the first quarterback to run for 25 yards in the McVay era. Goff's career high in rushing yards is 23, set in a Week 16 loss against the Seattle Seahawks (the game he suffered the thumb injury). The added dimension Wolford provides at quarterback will benefit the Rams offense heading into the playoffs, creating even more inventive schemes for McVay to draw up. 

"I thought it really got us going," McVay said. "I thought on the first scoring drive that we did have, his ability to extend on the third down and 10, convert with his legs, that's a big winning edge for us. That was a factor all day and you can just see some of the different things that you're able to do with him really showed up and I thought he did a great job."