Rams confirm Jared Goff’s surgery on broken thumb; John Wolford to start vs. Cardinals
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed in a video conference call with reporters that starting quarterback Jared Goff had surgery Monday night to repair a broken right thumb in his throwing hand and will miss Sunday’s season finale against the Arizona Cardinals.
That means backup John Wolford will in fact make his first NFL start on Sunday with a postseason berth on the line.
“John’s done a great job preparing himself all year, if you watch,” McVay said. “The way he’s worked at it, I know there’s confidence from his coaches and his teammates, and guys will need to rally around him. But we’re excited about the opportunity John will have to lead the offense this week.”
McVay said the Rams are in the process of signing Blake Bortles from the Denver Broncos’ practice squad to serve as a backup quarterback. And the plan is to promote Bryce Perkins from the practice squad on game day to serve as a third option at quarterback against the Cardinals
Bortles served as the No. 2 quarterback for the Rams last season.
Goff suffered a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand in the third quarter when he clanged it on the helmet of Seattle Seahawks defensive end Benson Mayowa in a 20-9 road loss on Sunday. Goff popped his thumb back in place and remained in the game.
Goff has not missed a game due to injury in five NFL seasons. If everything goes as planned, McVay said the Rams are hopeful Goff could be available if his team makes the postseason.
McVay said after Goff consulted with the team's medical staff and his family, he decided to have surgery, which included having screws put in place to help fix the fractured bone.
McVay said Goff wanted to play this week but was persuaded to have the surgery as the best way to move forward.
“If you asked him, he definitely would have wanted to do that,” McVay said. “But you’ve got to make sure that sometimes you help make the decision or help paint a picture of why this is the smart thing for the longevity of your career, and not just be so short-sighted.
“I know Jared would have wanted to do everything in his power to play this week, but I think also understanding the parameters of let’s get this in here and stabilizing this, and then you could potentially be ready as early as next week, I think that was what made it the most sound thing.”