No one expected the Rams to have a quarterback decision to make in the playoffs, but with the wild-card game against Seattle just a couple of days away, that’s exactly where Sean McVay finds himself. Jared Goff had thumb surgery last Monday and is questionable to play. John Wolford helped lead the Rams to a Week 17 victory over Arizona, playing well in his first NFL game.
It’s a difficult decision for the Rams to make, especially if Goff isn’t 100% healthy – which given the timetable, is hard to imagine he is.
Rams legend Torry Holt, who was recently named a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist, weighed in on the debate and he’s leaning Goff’s way – but only if he’s healthy enough to play as he normally would.
“I think he can play through that, it’s just a matter of how healthy is he? How secure are they with him in terms of managing that ball?” Holt said on the Jim Rome Show. “It’s cold out in Seattle. Jared doesn’t have the biggest of hands and he’s coming in with a broken thumb, so that would give me some concerns. But if my QB1 tells me he’s ready, he’s shown me throughout the week that he’s ready, he’s processing information, he looks to be healthy – mentally, he seems to be in a good place – I’m going to give him an opportunity to go out and play. With that defense playing at a championship level, Rams quarterbacks don’t turn the football over, run the ball as best they can, make plays on the perimeter moving the chains, they give themselves a chance to go into Seattle and win.”
Goff played through the injury after it occurred in Week 16, a clear show of toughness. But playing in Seattle where it’s going to be cold is a different story. As long as he can grip and throw the ball like he normally would, the Rams are likely to lean toward starting Goff.
But if there are issues with ball security and taking snaps under center, that could complicate things and push Wolford into the starting lineup again.
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