Rams QB Jared Goff – Postgame Press Conference – November 23, 2020

(On his mindset during their last offensive drive of the game knowing they needed to score at least a field goal)
“I thought the whole game, up until the late third quarter, early fourth quarter we started to stall a little bit. I was making some pretty dumb decisions, honestly, and just not taking care of the ball like I should. Then I knew, even with all that – you know you have a chance to win against a really good team, at their place, on the road. You put that all together, you go down and you make a drive. And our new guy (kicker) Matt Gay put it through.”

(On if he knew when game planning that he would have to have a great game because of Tampa Bay’s stout defense against the run)
“They were heavy upfront and I think they did a really good job stuffing the run, like you mentioned. If that happens and we have to lean on the pass game, I’m all for it and ready for it. I don’t think that was our plan, but with what they were doing defensively – giving us opportunities in the pass game – we had some stuff available for us and as close as it was, we feel we should’ve broken it open even more.”

(On winning back-to-back games and what that says about the team’s potential)
“We can be as good as we want to be, honestly. We have it all in front of us. We’re 7-3 now. We won against Seattle last week. (We) won against Tampa this week. We have some division games coming up – some big ones – but, everything is there for us to take and we have to take it one week at a time and keep playing good ball. I think our defense is still playing outstanding and the better we can be on offense, I think we’re really close to being where we want to be tonight was a step in the right direction.”

(On his reaction when safety Jordan Fuller got his first interception and then his second of the game)
“Ecstatic. Happy for him. He’s a great player. He’s been a great player since we got him. In training camp he had a great camp. Seeing that come to fruition now – he’s made some big plays for us throughout the year – but two interceptions. The second one had a big-time moment. As a rookie it’s hard to say how big that is for him.”

(On what the team needs to do to continue to improve the running game)
“Just what we’ve been doing. I think tonight it was a good front. They’re good on defense. They’re really good on defense and especially up front. They did a great job and we just weren’t able to find those lanes like we usually do and we’ll go back, look at film and get better from it. I think it’s a nod to their defense and how good they are at stopping the run.”

(On if he said anything to wide receiver Van Jefferson after scoring his first career touchdown)
“I told him congratulations. It was his first one and he was quick to grab that football and make sure he brought it with him, which was cool to see. I didn’t realize it until he grabbed the ball. That was good. He’s a hell of a route runner and we got down there nice and tight in the red zone. He can do a lot of things. We like him and hope to get him a little more involved as the season goes one.”

(On engineering a fourth quarter drive that beats a player of Tom Brady’s caliber and a team like Tampa Bay)
“I think, kind of reiterating what I was saying. We’re playing a tough team, a really good team in the NFC, on the road in primetime. We kind of fumbled it away there at the end a little bit. And then making that drive at the end of the game I think shows who we are and again the interception. Both of [those]. That sequence right there shows who we are and what we’re made of. I think it’s a really good step in the right direction for all of us.”

(On if his confidence continues to grow when he is able to execute successfully in the fourth quarter)
“Of course, yeah. Of course. I always believe in myself in any situation, but when you actually do it and do it in a tough environment – yeah of course it makes feel good and you’re happy about it, but I expect to do that. We all expect to do that. It was a good one.”

(On at what point did he sense wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods each would have a big night)
“Probably about halfway through the second quarter. We just had a lot of stuff that was dialed up for them. When Cooper was breaking tackles and getting more [yards] after the catch – and Robert for that matter – you kind of get a good feeling of how the game is going to go. I think it should have [gone] that way the entire game. Like I said, we kind of let it slip a little bit there, but they had a great day and it kind of coming into this game we had a feeling they would.”

(On how left tackle Joe Noteboom performed tonight)
“Joe did great. Joe did really well. It was good to see. Again, that’s a really good defensive line. It’s one of the top defensive lines in the league and for him to come in do what he did. Again, he’s a guy that we’ve played a bunch so we have a lot of faith in him and his ability, but for him to come in against a couple good pass rushers and play the way he did was tremendous. I think offensive line deserves credit for tonight. That front four was, like I said, one of the best in the league. They kept me clean all night and did a hell of a job and I can’t speak enough about him”

(On if he said anything to Noteboom during the game about how well he was playing)
“Joe is a man of few words, so just let him stay focused and do his thing. He did a great job. Like I said, I think it was really good to see him step in in that moment and play well, but it’s what we expected him to do. It’s not like it was surprising.”

(On their next opponent being San Francisco and if they have more confidence compared to the first time they played each other)
“I think after that game we had a good reflection on it as far as what we wanted to do. I remember the leadership group kind of talked about it and being like ‘We need to come out with more juice.’ That game we came out a little bit flat. At this point, every game since then we’ve come out with a little more juice and kind of producing our own energy hopefully next week we can do the same thing and come out and play well against the 49ers. Again, it’s a division game. We have a handful of them coming up and a lot more big games, so we’ll be bringing a lot more energy.”