Jared Goff came into the 2020 season with a huge number of doubters ready to pounce on any continued struggles he might show. After a shaky 2019 campaign, there were endless questions about whether he’s a legitimate franchise quarterback or simply the product of Sean McVay’s system.
We’re only six weeks into the regular season but Goff has once again silenced his critics, just as he did in 2017 after a disastrous rookie year. He has the Rams sitting at 4-2 after completing 67.4% of his passes with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions through six games.
Pro Football Focus has been complimentary of Goff, giving him the fifth-best grade of any quarterback in the NFL. In the site’s quarterback rankings, which aren’t solely based on overall grade, Goff is quickly ascending.
He has yet to crack the top 10, though, checking in at No. 11 in this week’s update – up six spots from the start of the season.
Goff is a very environment-dependent quarterback, but we shouldn’t dismiss how well he does play when the environmental conditions allow him to. Through six weeks, he has the No. 6 PFF passing grade (84.3) and No. 5 overall mark (85.3) and has just three turnover-worthy plays, the same number as Aaron Rodgers had in only one game against Tampa Bay. Goff’s offensive line has improved, so he is better able to deliver the ball to Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, and while he hasn’t been as aggressive as in the past, he has been impressively efficient, with the Rams ranking sixth in the league in EPA per play on offense.
Josh Allen and Ryan Tannehill are among the biggest risers in PFF’s rankings, jumping 19 and 16 spots, respectively, into the top 10. Russell Wilson has unseated Patrick Mahomes at No. 1, while Kyler Murray has risen five spots to No. 14. Jimmy Garoppolo is the only NFC West quarterback to fall, dropping four spots to No. 19.
Goff has established himself as an above-average quarterback again this season, but he’ll need to maintain this level of play for the remainder of the year if he wants to stay in the top 15 and climb into the top 10. Just ahead of him are Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Ryan, so Goff has two veterans to leapfrog in order to be considered one of the 10 best in PFF’s eyes.