The Los Angeles Rams suffered a gut-wrenching defeat to the Carolina Panthers, in a contest that was a low-scoring, defensive battle between two respected teams. Head coach Jeff Fisher and quarterback Case Keenum were constantly receiving heckles from the fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, for an issue that many fans are constantly debating.
While Keenum continues to tread water regarding his status as the starting quarterback, many fans are calling for Jared Goff to receive an opportunity.
Now there are both sides to the argument, with sound and strategic reasons as to why Fisher should lean one way, but at the end of the day the decision resides with Fisher as long as he is the head coach of the organization.
The Rams lost 13-10 in a close thriller, with both defenses proving to be amongst the top of the NFL in containing two electric offenses. Before the bye week, the offense was beginning to show drastic improvements, putting up continual points against respected defenses.
While the Rams are now on a four-game losing streak, Fisher made a declaring statement regarding who the starting quarterback is heading into Week 10, via Myles Simmons of TheRams.com:
“Case is starting,” Fisher said, “and we’re going to New York.”
Now Keenum doesn’t deserve the full blame for the struggles of the Rams. During Sunday’s contest against the Panthers, Keenum delivered a dime to tight end Lance Kendricks, who was wide open. However, Kendricks dropped the pass, which could have changed the result of the game drastically.
Keenum ended the contest with 27-of-46 passes completed, for 296 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His 76 percent quarterback rating is the fifth time this season he has eclipsed the 75 percent mark.
In a season that hasn’t panned out as well as expected, Fisher believes that Keenum’s expertise in his fifth season in the NFL provides a better opportunity to win against the New York Jets:
“Case, right now, especially against this defense, gives us our best chance,” Fisher said. “This is an extremely complicated defense. They can pressure the quarterback, they can do anything they want to do — they’re very, very talented. But our focus is this week against the Jets, and Case will be under center.”
The Rams travel to MetLife Stadium to take on the Jets in Week 10. With a record of 3-5, the Rams will need a dominant outing and victory in order to salvage the chaos that has occurred that past few weeks.
Although Fisher is reportedly on the hot seat, the coach must continue making decisions that are best for the organization.
He has continually stated that Goff is continuing his growth into a better quarterback, receiving more opportunities to mature and grow into the NFL system.
After receiving first team reps during the bye week, fans began speculating on the calling card of Goff. During the Rams-Panthers game, fans were yelling “we want Goff” while Keenum was on the field, which even drew a chuckle from Goff on the sideline.
