Rams QB Jared Goff set to start vs. 49ers after clearing concussion protocol
6:53 PM ET
- Alden GonzalezESPN Staff Writer
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. --
Los Angeles Rams rookie quarterback
Jared Goff has cleared concussion protocol and is set to start against the
San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.
Sean Mannion, a third-round pick in 2015, will replace
Case Keenum as the backup so the Rams can get a closer look at him before the season ends, interim coach John Fassel confirmed.
Goff, the 2016 No. 1 overall pick, entered concussion protocol after absorbing a vicious hit from Seahawks cornerback
Richard Sherman late in last Thursday's 24-3 loss in Seattle. But Goff practiced in full over the past two days and said he felt fine all along.
He never wanted to come out of the game in the first place.
Atlanta Falcons. In Week 15, Sherman got the best of him. With nine minutes left, Goff avoided pressure and ran 15 yards up the sidelines, getting two yards away from the pylon before Sherman knocked him out of bounds.
"If I had seen him, I probably would've gone out of bounds," Goff said. "Didn't see him, kind of came out of nowhere. He made a hell of a play after watching it. He came from all the way on the other side of the field."
Goff will finally get a chance to play against his hometown team, after being inactive when the Rams opened their season against the 49ers in Santa Clara, California. Goff nonetheless called it "just another game to us," saying he is merely hopeful of getting his first win and continually improving.
Five games in, Goff sports a dreadful 24.6 Total QBR, completing 54.7 percent of his passes, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt and throwing four touchdowns to five interceptions.
A lot of the fault lies in receivers who have dropped too many passes and an offensive line that is allowing too much pressure, but Goff himself has also missed an assortment of throws he should make and is still adjusting to the speed of the NFL.
"I just want to continue to feel comfortable," Goff said when asked what he hoped to get out of these final two weeks. "I want to get my anticipation a little bit better. Be able to anticipate guys, where they're going to be, and get the ball out faster, not hold onto the ball so much, and take care of myself in the pocket, and make plays."
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18335055/los-angeles-rams-quarterback-jared-goff-clears-concussion-protocol-set-start