As the Rams come into the wild-card round of the playoffs, theyre facing the Seahawks for the third time this season, and theyre loaded up on one side of the ball. Los Angeles defense, led by first-year coordinator Brandon Staley, ranks fourth in total Defensive DVOA, first in Weighted DVOA, fourth against the pass, third against the run, and first overall since Week 10.

On offense, Sean McVays team is a bit less convincing. Jared Goff has not been at his best (which is a limited best) this season, and his recent thumb surgery forced McVay to start John Wolford, who we last saw with the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football. My colleague Mark Schofield did what a lot of people didnt and actually went back and watched Wolfords AAF tape, discerning that Wolford might actually be able to take advantage of the Cardinals coverages in Week 17.

Wolford did, to a point. In his first NFL start, he completed 22 of 38 passes for 231 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception he threw on his first attempt of the game. The Rams won, 18-7 on three field goals, a safety, and an 84-yard interception touchdown by cornerback Troy Hill. Wolford also gained 56 yards on the ground on just six carries, which was an obvious boon to the Rams depleted run game.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll definitely took notice.

They showed a lot of trust in him, Carroll said this week, when asked about he thought of Wolford. He threw the ball 38 times in the game and he handled it really well. In a variety of ways, he contributed running and throwing and in and out of pocket, all that stuff. He did a really good job. You can see that they really did believe that he could get the job done. They werent afraid of the first time starter form or anything, they really went for it.

Carroll also said that he didnt see anything different out of the Rams offense with Wolford was in there.

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I think it looks like the same offense to me, Carroll said. Theyve run all of the same plays. He did a nice job of keeping the ball on some reads and all that, so I dont think it was much different. I thought it was very much the same. Strong-armed guy, moved around, got out of the pocket, did some nice things. They certainly used him on the edge just like theyve done consistently over the years.

The offense may have been similar, but there are positive differences with Wolford. When you ask people who have watched both Goff and Wolford what their impressions are, theres one common thread there are plays Wolford is capable of making that Goff simply isnt. And thats why I believe McVay should choose Wolford as his starter, regardless of Goffs status.

I was ready to make Wolfords case when I noticed that Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire, our sister site, had already done so. I asked Cam if I could feature his analysis in this piece and he agreed, so here it is.

Lets get one thing straight: Wolford wasnt perfect on Sunday against the Cardinals. He threw an interception on his first career pass, sailed an easy throw to Van Jefferson on a slant route and overthrew Gerald Everett in the right corner of the end zone. He wasnt without his flaws, and some of those mistakes can be chalked up to first-game jitters.

However, theres no question he made a lot more good plays than bad ones in his NFL debut.

What makes Wolford such an intriguing option is his mobility. Sean McVay opened up the playbook with new calls that included read-options and designed QB runs both of which worked perfectly and kept the Cardinals off-balance. But Wolford also extended plays with his legs to pick up chunks of yards that wouldve otherwise been sacks taken by Goff, most likely.

Take this play, for instance. The pocket collapses on third-and-10, but Wolford doesnt panic. With a defender bearing down on him and no receivers open, Wolford steps up and through the traffic to pick up 13 yards for a first down.

Put simply, thats not a play Goff makes to pick up the first down. Its either a sack or hes chased down before reaching the sticks. Goff has other strengths, but mobility is not one of them; Wolfords 56 yards rushing were more than Goff has had in any game in his career.

That mobility is something McVay can take advantage of to keep the defense on its toes. With Goff under center, designed quarterback runs arent exactly an option. But with Wolford, it opens up the playbook for plays like this one a 14-yard carry with the offensive line pulling to the left side on third-and-5.

Beyond Wolfords mobility, his natural aggressiveness was a welcome sight. He wasnt afraid to take shots downfield, which is a wrinkle that has been sorely lacking for the Rams under Goff this season. He completed three impressive deep passes to Robert Woods on a back-shoulder throw, to Tyler Higbee against Cover 2, and then another against a similar defense to Cam Akers down the left sideline.

Quarterbacks dont always have to complete deep passes, but the mere threat of throwing them keeps a defense honest. It opens up things underneath for short and intermediate routes, giving receivers more room to work.

Against a stingy Seahawks defense, dinking and dunking your way down the field can be difficult. Big plays are needed, and Goff simply hasnt made enough of them this year. Wolford made three on Sunday alone and it couldve been even more if he was slightly more accurate on a pair of long throws.

The combination of Wolfords mobility, poise and aggressiveness makes him a quarterback thats easy to like. For a guy who had never taken a regular-season snap before Sunday, he looked comfortable and confident, even after throwing a pick on his first NFL pass.

And his teammates rallied around him. On a late third-down play, Wolford lowered his shoulder into a defender and fought for the necessary yardage to pick up the first down and essentially seal the win. After the game, a few players raved about Wolfords toughness on that play, saying it electrified the sideline.

With momentum building in Wolfords corner, he has a strong case to remain the starter.

Cams points are all outstanding, which is why I wanted to feature them. Theres also the element of the throws one quarterback can make against the throws another quarterback cant and for that, I give you two backside fades to running back Cam Akers.

The first came in the Rams 23-20 Week 15 loss to the previously winless Jets. Goff hadnt attempted a single pass over 20 air yards in the entire game until the last two plays, which plays to type, as hes been one of the NFLs least effective deep passers this season. But with 4:05 left in the game. Los Angeles was down 23-20. hey had the ball at the New York 37-yard line, and if youve been watching the Rams offense all season, the last thing youd expect would be a low-percentage deep shots.

But thats what happened. Goff failed to connect on a deep throw to running back Cam Akers to his left, and on fourth-and-four, he failed to connect with tight end Gerald Everett to his right. The Jets got the ball back, and after a couple of first downs, Sam Darnold knelt three times to end the game.

These were the only two deep passes Goff attempted.

Yeah, we felt like we were going to be able to get an opportunity, McVay said of those two shots. Really on the third down, we had some looks that we felt like we had a good isolation, but clearly, we have to be able to progress there.

Well, heres the third-down throw to Akers. Nice coverage downfield by linebacker Neville Hewitt, but the ball placement is less than optimal. And when youve converted two of your 10 third-down attempts in the game to that point, maybe this isnt the play.

McVays look at the end says it all.

Yeah, the first one to Cam, I would have liked to give him a little bit more of a chance there or maybe progress through the play, Goff said. Didnt love where I put it.

Nobody did. Now, heres Wolfords 38-yard completion to Akers with 3:06 left in the third quarter. Its a similar
concept Akers leaking deep downfield to the boundary on the left side and though Wolford has a bit more separation on this throw, he also makes a better attempt.

Wolfords spray chart from last Sunday also shows a quarterback whos more comfortable turning it loose.

This season, per Pro Football Focus, Goff has completed 13 of 43 passes of 20 or more air yards for 416 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. In one game, Wolford attempted eight such throws, completing three, for 91 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. Goffs passer rating on deep throws? 71.5. Wolfords? 81.7.

Its not that Wolford is about ready to pull a Kurt Warner to Goffs Trent Green hes probably not that guy. But the conclusion is easy to make that he gives the Rams more to go with on offense than Goff does, whether Goff is healthy or not. Thats not a great thing for an organization that gave Goff a $134 million contract extension in 2019 and is paying Wolford a base salary of $780,000 this season, but thats a story for another time. Right now, the Rams are just trying to survive the tournament, and its pretty clear which quarterback gives them the best chance to do that.

Read more here:
Anatomy of a wild-card win: Why the Rams should stick with John Wolford over Jared Goff - Yahoo Sports