Rams: Jared Goff has done enough to enter MVP discussion

The Los Angeles Rams currently sit pretty atop the NFC West with a 6-2. A big component of that has been Jared Goff and his MVP worthy season.

The Los Angeles Rams won just four games last season. Through nine weeks of this season, they sit pretty at 6-2. Los Angeles has not finished with a winning record since 2003, has not made the playoffs since 2004. With some very favorable games coming up on the Rams’ schedule, this looks to be the year that is all thrown aside.

New head coach Sean McVay has done wonders with this team. The youngest head coach in NFL history, McVay has turned this organization around. The young Rams’ players believe in it, the fans believe in it and the sour taste of Jeff Fisher is finally gone.

New defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has done his typical defensive magic on this Rams team. While the Rams defense is not among the NFL’s elite, it does do enough to hand the ball over to the offense. Los Angeles is ninth in the league in total points allowed, allowing 19.4 points per contest.

It all banks back to the offense. Los Angeles has one of the best offenses in the NFL this season, ranking third in total yards per game. The offseason plan was simple to see, and while many did not think it would work, it has wonderfully. LA was surrounding 2016 first overall pick Jared Goff with as many weapons as they could.

Los Angeles selected two receivers and one tight end with their first four picks in the 2017 NFL Draft. Cooper Kupp, a third rounder, was the best pick of the trio. Kupp has 26 catches for 370 yards and three touchdowns.

On top of that, Los Angeles went out and got the Buffalo duo of Robert Woods and Sammy Watkins. Woods has been the Rams’ best receiver, catching 31 passes for 451 yards and two touchdowns.

All of this had lead to one thing: the hype train returning around Jared Goff. Many were ready to write him off last season. Now, Goff has done enough to throw his name into the MVP hat.

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Through eight games Goff has 2030 yards and 13 touchdowns with a 60.2% completion rate. Goff has a Passer Rating of 97.9 with just four interceptions. Goff is tenth in the league in yards per game, eighth in touchdowns and ninth in passer rating.

Most importantly, Goff’s team is winning. Success is a huge factor in MVP voting and Goff has that on his side. With that in mind, Goff’s competition has boiled down to Alex Smith, Tom Brady and Carson Wentz.

All three of these guys are putting together fantastic seasons, but none are pulling away from the rest. The Chiefs are starting to go downhill, and like we have seen before, so will Alex Smith. Tom Brady is 40 years old and could see less time on the field if the Patriots clinch and Carson Wentz has a tough remaining schedule.

Quite frankly, Goff is third right now behind Brady (2541 yards, 16 touchdowns) and Wentz (2262 yards, 23 touchdowns). However, Goff has done enough to throw himself into those elite ranks, and with so much season left to play, he can make a serious push towards the award.

Next: Predicting the rest of the Rams season

Jared Goff has been at the center of this Rams team during the transition phase to Sean McVay. Goff has proven that he can lead a young team to success and that will be more than enough to earn him MVP consideration.