The Dallas Cowboys welcomed Jared Goff to the NFL on Saturday.
Whereas rookie counterpart Dak Prescottdazzled while operating behind pro football's dominant offensive line and throwing to a pair of veteran wideouts, Goff struggled with a subpar supporting cast as the Los Angeles Rams' second-string quarterback.
Entering in the second quarter, Goff was blitzed, hit as he threw and intercepted on his second pass attempt of the game. He settled down from there, but fell victim to a couple of drops. After the game, Rams coach Jeff Fisher explained Goff was feeling sore after taking a hit on his non-throwing shoulder.
"(He) got a little stiff at halftime, decided to hold him out," Fisher said. "He'll be fine."
Goff finished 4 of 9 for 38 yards and the one turnover. His box score would have looked much tidier if fellow rookie Pharoh Cooper had held onto a perfect pass that was jarred loose by safety J.J. Wilcox on the doorstep of the end zone. Goff took a sack on the next play, knocking the Rams out of field-goal range just before halftime.
The draft's top pick might not be ready to unseat Case Keenum for the Week 1 starting job, but he showed enough in his Los Angeles debut to allay offseasons concerns about his transition to the pro game.
