In his seven starts during his rookie season last year, Jared Goff couldn’t have looked more uncomfortable or ill-equipped to handle the job. However there were also numerous other factors at play.

His head coach was fired just a few starts in, his offensive line was swiss cheese on a good day, the receiving game was one of the weakest the NFL had seen in a decade and running back Todd Gurley was unrecognizable from the play who’d won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2015.

Fast forward nine months and now he’s starting to look like the kind of player that might’ve been worth the Rams number one overall pick. Goff was an effective, steady presence behind center throughout their Week 1 rout of the Colts, doing his job by capitalizing on the tremendous performances from the defensive and special teams units.

And while his protection has improved dramatically since last season, his composure when he did face pressure had him performing at the same level as some of the league’s best quarterbacks in those situations.

The fact that Goff was able to consistently execute under pressure means that not only is he mentally stronger this season, he also trust the players he’s throwing the ball to. Rookie Cooper Kupp had a fantastic game, leading the team with 76 receiving yards, and three other players hauled in 50+ receiving yards on the day as well: Sammy Watkins, Todd Gurley and Robert Woods.

Outside of Gurley, those are all players that joined the team this off-season It’s a strong early validation of Sean McVay’s reconstructed offense, as well as his ability to envision the right players for the system he’s instituted. It’s also a reminder that when he has the talent around him, Goff is capable of far more than he was able to show in 2016.