Los Angeles Rams interim head coach John Fassel announced today that QB Jared Goff, who has been practicing with the team this week, will get the start on Saturday against the San Francisco 49ers. Goff had been in the concussion protocol, but has been cleared. QB Sean Mannion, not Case Keenum, will be Goff's backup.
Goff suffered his concussion on a hit from Seattle Seahawks CB Richard Sherman last Thursday. The quarterback has lost all five of his starts since replacing Keenum, who started the season as the top quarterback on the depth chart.
49ers head coach Chip Kelly spoke a little bit about preparing for Goff while answering questions from the media on Wednesday. "You have to be prepared for both him and Case [Keenum] and there's rumors that [Sean] Mannion may play," Kelly said. "So, you've got to be ready for all of them. Their offense hasn't changed drastically from Case to Jared. It's still their offense. The back is the feature player for them. [Todd] Gurley is as talented a guy as we'll face. He'll be the main stop.
Coach Fassel announces Jared Goff will be the starter and Sean Mannion will be the backup vs 49ers. Goff cleared concussion protocol. pic.twitter.com/SC6ClMrxXc
— Kirk Morrison (@kirkmorrison) December 22, 2016
"You've got to stop the run against these guys and then obviously Jared like any quarterback, and I've mentioned this before, the experience you get in game reps as a quarterback is totally different than practice reps because in practice you don't get hit and in a game you do get hit.
"You've seen him get better as the more snaps he's played. He throws a nice ball. It's catchable. He's very accurate when he has a chance to get his feet set. So, obviously, we need to disrupt the timing of the routes and try to get some pressure on him. When you give him time to throw, he's a very accurate thrower."
Goff has completed 54.7 percent of his passes during his starts and has a passer rating of 65.7. He has thrown four touchdowns and five interceptions.
