Put Pressure on Jared Goff

Goff has been impressive as we near the midway point of the 2018 season. He, and his coach Sean McVay, have got the Rams offense humming. Only the Kansas City Chiefs and offensive mastermind Andy Reid really compare in relation to offensive production.

Goff is still a young quarterback. His third year jump might be the most impressive thing about this year’s Rams team. However, he is still a young quarterback. The battle between Green Bay defensive coordinator and McVay is going to be a fun one to watch. I expect McVay to devise ways to keep pressure off of Goff and I expect Pettine to do just the opposite.

The best way to disrupt the ebb and flow of this Rams offense is disrupt the man at the helm. Make Goff beat you. Make McVay adjust on the fly. Disrupt their timing. Pettine’s strategy is one that I am going to keep a close eye on.

How much is he blitzing? What packages is he running? How is he disguising his coverage? With the corners returning to health, we could see corner heavy packages like dime. Nickel has been the “base” of this defense, which already matches up well with an offense that runs 11 (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) personnel most of the time.  But, the defense has been inconsistent. They have been unable to put together multiple strong performances, from quarter to quarter or game to game. They won’t be able to afford to do that this week.