Advertisement

Jared Goff busts off a slick move during touchdown run against Falcons

Rams quarterback Jared Goff scores on a touchdown run
Rams quarterback Jared Goff scores on a touchdown run during the second half of a 37-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
Share via

The move, somewhat of a stutter-step cutback, was executed to perfection. And it left Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones grasping at air.

It wasn’t Rams running back Todd Gurley who made Jones miss. Nor was it receiver Brandin Cooks or any of the offense’s other speedy and shifty playmakers.

Quarterback Jared Goff made the move en route to a one-yard touchdown during the Rams’ 37-10 victory over the Falcons on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Advertisement

Goff had already passed for two touchdowns when the Rams drove to the Falcons’ one-yard line midway through third quarter. After coming up short on a second-down sneak, Goff on the next play faked a hand-off to his right and then rolled left.

As Jones closed in from the right for a tackle, Goff planted his left foot and then watched as Jones over-pursued, leaving Goff a clear path to the end zone.

“It was a good time to be slow for me,” Goff said, ”because he’s probably the fastest linebacker in the league and he is so good side-to-side. I was like, ‘Man, I’m not going to outrun him.’ Got to try to pretend like I’m trying to and then pull up.”

Goff was pumped up by the play. To punctuate it, he uncharacteristically spiked the ball.

“I don’t score often running so I wasn’t really quite sure what to do,” Goff said. “I was going to throw it at the wall in front of me… and then there was a bunch of people standing there, so I can’t, I’m going to kill somebody.

Advertisement

“So like in midair I was like, ‘I just got to spike it.’”

Coach Sean McVay was happy Goff got into the end zone.

“I told him he’s the worst sneaker in the history of football for us to even have to run that play,” McVay joked. “I didn’t see the spike, but I did see the move.

“I think he looked pretty athletic there.”

Advertisement