On Opening Day of the 2017 NFL regular season, seemingly everything went right for the Los Angeles Rams, as the LA Memorial Coliseum witnessed the home team beat the Indianapolis Colts in convincing fashion, 46-9, and second-year quarterback Jared Goff had himself the best day of his young professional career.
Goff looked comfortable under center, calm in the pocket and confident in his throws. The 22-year-old finished the day with 306 passing yards on the day with 21 completions on 29 attempts, one touchdown and no interceptions. Sunday served as the first time Goff had ever thrown for over 300 yards as a professional, and the young quarterback's touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Cooper Kupp hinted as a blossoming partnership.
Kupp finished with 76 yards to lead all receivers.
Though Goff's play deserved the headlines on the day, the Rams' first offensive touchdown came via running back Todd Gurley II rushing up the middle from five yards out. Gurley finished the day with 40 yards on 19 rushes and a touchdown. Though Gurley's yards per carry was less than stunning, the half back also caught five passes for 56 yards on the day.
.@TG3II with the TD to put the #Rams up 17-3! #INDvsLA pic.twitter.com/aZqVsW2cpW— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 10, 2017
Both Goff and Gurley struggled in 2016, so new LA Rams head coach Sean McVay had to feel encouraged by how his two star offensive players looked to start the season.
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Of course, one should point out that the Colts were without Andrew Luck and contributed to their own demise. Backup quarterback Scott Tolzien looked awful and drew predictable responses wondering if Colin Kaepernick couldn't do better than 9/18 for 128 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.
Again, that..... Scott Tolzien has a job and Colin Kaepernick doesn't is absolutely outrageous. What a mess. https://t.co/S1yw6zCVWs— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) September 10, 2017
Both those interceptions resulted in touchdowns, as Trumaine Johnson scored the Rams' first touchdown of the season on a 39-yard interception return. Lamarcus Joyner made an acrobatic interception of his own in the second half and raced to the endzone for the defense's second score of the day.
LAMARCUS �� JOYNER �� PICK �� SIX ��
That's the second one for the #Rams defense today! #INDvsLA pic.twitter.com/5pJ4ycaKlx— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 10, 2017
Before the end of the game, the Rams put the exclamation point on the defensive dominance with a safety.
The Colts did eventually score a touchdown, but that score arrived after McVay had already opted to rest his defensive starters.
From beginning to end, Sunday at the LA Coliseum looked like a highlight reel for the Los Angeles Rams, who started the season 1-0.
Next: The Rams host the Washington Redskins in Week 2.
Quote: "I thought it was okay," - McVay when asked about the offense after the game. The Rams scored the most points in a game since 2014.
