Jared Goff and the Rams delivered more than a win on Sunday, they created hope

LOS ANGELES >> Just before Rams quarterback Jared Goff disappeared into the Coliseum tunnel late Sunday afternoon to celebrate his first win as an NFL quarterback, he paused, peeked over to a hundred or so fans shouting his name from the stands and raised his right arm to the sky.

The roar that immediately erupted was unlike anything we’ve heard from the Coliseum for an NFL team in what seems like forever.

Not two minutes before, 31-year-old Rams head coach Sean McVay did the same exact thing as he exited the stadium on the way to his team’s excited locker room after dropping a 46-9 hammer on top of the Indianapolis Colts.

The eruption was just as loud.

There was hope in the air. You could feel it, sense it and even hear it.

So was confidence and faith.

It was everything the Rams immediately let slip through their fingers upon returning home to Los Angeles last season after spending the previous 21 years in St. Louis. Their 4-12 finish did more harm than anyone cares to admit,  although one look at the crowd on Sunday revealed a humbling reality.

The Rams distributed just over 60,000 tickets for their home opener, but the guess is only about 48,000 decided to show up. That’s an absurdly low turnout for an NFL game in a city as big as Los Angeles.

But also somewhat understandable, given how the Rams stumbled all over themselves last year. It was a bad look. And it had devastating effects.

For now, Los Angeles is taking a collective wait-and-see attitude before deciding when, and if, it pours its heart out for the Rams.

Which made the fans reaction as Goff disappeared into the Coliseum tunnel so important.

After building a year’s worth of skepticism and cynicism and even anxiety, they were letting their guard down a little bit after soaking in the Rams thoroughly entertaining and dominant win over the Colts.

Goff masterfully delivered a  season-opening masterpiece that, for one day at least, erased the horrible stench from last year.

The offense was efficient and explosive and imaginative.

Even without All-Pro tackle Aaron Donald, the Rams defense was fast and active and disruptive while taking two interceptions to the end zone.

To put the day in perspective, the 37-point margin of victory more than doubled the Rams combined margin of victory in their four wins last year.

So yeah, there was hope in the air.

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And a huge sigh of relief that the Rams may have gotten it right with drafting Goff first overall last year.

The kid everybody was in such a rush to declare a bust after a miserable rookie season looked every bit like a high-end NFL quarterback. Operating behind a rebuilt offensive line that kept him clean for most of the afternoon, he picked apart the Colts on 21-of-29 passing for 306 yards, one touchdown and a 117.9 quarterback rating.

“Expected of him,” said new Rams wide receiver Robert Woods. “We see it at practice. We see him making these throws, calling these plays, very poised and confident. You see him out there today, making those throws, giving receivers chances like Cooper Kupp to go up and make plays on the ball. I mean, I would say that’s confidence and you saw it here today.”

It’s a performance we never saw last year from Goff across seven forgettable starts. And one far too many fans and pundits prematurely predicted he wasn’t capable after watching him struggle as a rookie..

They underestimated just how bad Goff had it, of course. The offensive line was terrible, the wide receivers incompetent and the coaching archaic, ineffective and unimaginative. He was also a 21-year-old kid making the jump from a college spread offense to a traditional NFL system.

Those aren’t excuses.

It’s reality.

A year later, with everything around him decidedly better and a contemporary, imaginative coaching staff in charge, Goff looked like a completely different player.

“He’s a number one overall pick for a reason,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. “He’s a damn good football player and he did a great job as far as scheming what we were doing.”

Funny how that works, right?

Give a smart, strong-armed, accurate throwing quarterback real perimeter weapons, a better scheme and time to stand in the pocket and throw the ball and good things happen.

“I think with the additions we’ve made and everything we’ve done in the offseason, that’s how it’s set up,” Goff said.

True, true.

But a good quarterback is also required. Goff wasn’t perfect on Sunday, but he efficiently spread the ball across nine different receivers while standing tall and confidently in the pocket while scanning the field and finding the open man.

“Very impressed,” said McVay. “I think that’s the goal – make good decisions, throw the ball with anticipation and accuracy in the timing and rhythm of the play and I thought he consistently did that today. Taking care of the football is a huge part of it and I thought he was able to get a handful of different guys involved in the pass game and that’s what you want to be able to do when we do have a handful of playmakers at the skill guys with our receivers, tight ends and backs. So, credit to Jared. I am very pleased with him today.”

The Rams drafted Goff with those attributes in mind. That it didn’t come together for him in year one didn’t cause panic from Rams building as much as it sprung them into action rebuilding the infrastructure around him. Coaching included, moving on from Jeff Fisher and replacing him with McVay.

The bevy of moves they made during the offseason were specifically designed to get Goff on the right track.

But it was on him to take it from there.

He did exactly that on Sunday in a way few could have anticipated.

“I thought he was tremendous,” Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth said. “I didn’t know how he’d be with a new group, a new offense, but I thought he was great. No moment was too big. He was in control.

“Communication was great. Demeanor was great. I think he feels, not so sure safe is the right word, but I think he knows he’s got a good group with him. And we’re here to protect him as an offense, and as coaching staff with Sean, to help him be successful.”

Goff did his part on Sunday. And the rebuilt offense around him followed his lead.

In the stands, a hopeful crowd roared in approval. It was a sigh of relief as much as anything else.

There were far too many empty seats, of course. It’s the harsh reality of the wobbly first foot the Rams planted back in Los Angeles last year..

The Rams have plenty of time to change all that.

And in Goff, maybe just the quarterback to lead that change.