The Los Angeles Rams fell vastly short of expectations in the 2019 NFL season that featured an underwhelming year from quarterback Jared Goff.
The Rams’ offense as a whole had been a shell of its former self after seemingly abandoning the type of balanced approach that made them the highest-scoring group in the league the previous two years. The changes along the offensive line paired with running back Todd Gurley‘s reduced workload clearly had a major impact on Goff’s performance as he struggled to find his footing throughout the year.
Los Angeles ultimately failed to avoid the dreaded Super Bowl hangover by missing the playoffs with their 9-7 finish for third place in the NFC West. Regardless, there still seems to be hope for a potential resurgence moving forward.
According to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, Goff is optimistic that the Rams will be able to bounce back strong in the 2020 NFL season:
Goff was attending Sunday's celebrity softball game for California Strong, an organization he has strongly supported over the past year. He expressed confidence in the Rams' direction and said, "You can't overreact to missing the playoffs by one game."
— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) January 13, 2020
Goff added that while some improvements still need to be made for him individually, he is happy with the supporting cast around him:
Goff said he has "a lot of things to improve on" as a quarterback, but feels good about the continuity with Sean McVay and the skill-position talent around him. “I feel like we’re in a good place,” he said.
— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) January 13, 2020
It is certainly encouraging to see that Goff is still confident that this team has what it takes to make it back to the Super Bowl. After all, he is no stranger when it comes to dealing with adversity in Los Angeles.
Goff endured a nightmare rookie campaign that left him still seeking his first career win upon head coach Sean McVay’s arrival. It took him and McVay just one season together to make his first Pro Bowl and two for him to lead the Rams to a Super Bowl.
As a result, the bar has been set rather high in Los Angeles and will remain that way now that they are getting set to kick off a new era at SoFi Stadium. They have taken full advantage of their early start to the offseason by ushering in some significant changes to the coaching staff and it remains to be seen how the roster will look come next season.