ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 03: Jared Goff #16 of the Los Angeles Rams throws a pass against the New England Patriots in the first half during Super Bowl LIII against the New England Patriots at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 3, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)At other points this season, the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams would’ve projected as a legitimate shootout. Instead, the Seahawks have reeled in the high-flying “let Russ cook” offense in recent weeks, and Jared Goff, who hasn’t been super effective, is now playing through a pretty rough-looking thumb injury.
On the day, Goff is 21-for-37 for 203 yards and an interception. The Rams currently trail the Seahawks 20-9 late in the fourth quarter.
Goff suffered what looks like a dislocated thumb earlier in the game. It can’t be an easy injury to play through as a quarterback.
Pictures and video of Goff dealing with the thumb is pretty gruesome. The video may not be for the faint of heart.
Jared Goff dislocated his thumb & popped it back into place pic.twitter.com/qhaWPwBeH0
— 𝓘𝓾𝓲𝓬𝓮 (@LArams4L) December 27, 2020
Jared Goff' thumb is messed up but he's still playing through it.pic.twitter.com/mS0QBFLrh0
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 27, 2020
Jared Goff has largely struggled to replicate the type of play from a few years ago, when he led the Los Angeles Rams to a 13-3 season and a trip to the Super Bowl. This season, he has thrown for 3,718 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
While he’ll certainly gain respect from his teammates for playing through an injury like that, there are real questions about the Rams ceiling with him under center long term. He’s looked serviceable, even good, since Sean McVay took over the Rams as head coach, but you have to wonder what the offense would look like with a true top flight quarterback running it.
Barring a two-score comeback in the final few minutes here, the Rams will fall to 9-6 on the season.
