Jared Goff is ready, apparently.

Maybe the No. 1 overall pick actually needed 10 weeks of the regular season to prepare. Maybe the 4-5 Rams were tired of Case Keenum, owner of a 76.8 QB rating for the season, literally throwing away their playoff chances. Maybe some sort of combination is why Goff will make his first NFL start Sunday when the Dolphins visit Los Angeles.
News of Goff being inserted into the lineup will be met with variations of one statement: about time. The stellar play of fellow rookie quarterbacks Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz this season had only amplified cries of confusion and doubt in Los Angeles.

Upon sharing news of Tuesday's move (first reported by ESPN's Chris Mortensen), ESPN's Adam Schefter noted that Los Angeles hopes Goff will give it a "postseason push."

That's curious, because many presume the Rams would have better playoff positioning going into Week 11 had Goff started over Keenum earlier in the season.

We're about to find out whether that sentiment has merit; whether Goff really is ready to lead an NFL franchise; whether the Rams were smart to be so cautious with the rookie's development.

Former NFL GM Jeff Diamond knows Rams coach Jeff Fisher well, as the two worked together during their time with the Titans. Even he was confused by Fisher's hesitancy to play Goff given Keenum's obvious status as a career backup.

Maybe Fisher read what Diamond wrote last week.
The Rams are far from out of the playoff picture in the NFC. That said, if Goff plays well enough, he'll prove the move did not come too late.

But, according to Mortensen, the Rams don't expect Goff to be perfect.

"There is not necessarily a belief that Goff alone will solve the Rams' anemic offense, a source said. Rams running back Todd Gurley has yet to get untracked and the offensive line play has been spotty at times. The Rams rank 31st in total offense and have scored the fewest points (139) in the NFL.

"Nevertheless, with Goff now fully indoctrinated into the offense after exclusively running a no-huddle spread attack during four seasons at Cal, team sources said there is hope he will energize the team and a home fan base that was hostile during the team's last game at the Coliseum — a 13-10 loss to the Carolina Panthers."

It's not fair to expect a QB one year removed from Cal to transition seamlessly in the NFL, but at this point, it is fair to expect Goff to be an improvement over Keenum ... even when his first start comes against a defense led by Ndamukong Suh.