THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Jared Goff found Cooper Kupp wide open for a 23-yard touchdown pass in his first drive on Saturday. He fired a dart off his back foot to Tyler Higbee as he came across the field at one point. On another, he lofted a perfectly placed deep ball to Sammy Watkins that was broken up near the end zone. Goff finished an eventual 24-21 road win against the Oakland Raiders 16-of-20 for 160 yards and a touchdown, in what might have been the most encouraging performance of his short NFL career.

Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay was most impressed by the little things.

One came in the third possession, on first-and-10 from the Raiders' 31-yard line. McVay called play-action, but Khalil Mack got around the edge and was in Goff's face as soon as he turned around from the fake handoff. Goff immediately threw it away to preserve field position.

"That's a great play that maybe nobody notices because it was the only play," McVay said. "That's being a good decision-maker."

Another came on third down and resulted in Watkins' first catch with the Rams. It was only a five-yard pass, on a crossing route that allowed Watkins to find the seam. But McVay liked the way Goff stepped up in the pocket to deliver the throw with the rush coming.

"He shortened up his fourth and fifth steps, stepped up, slid, kept two hands on the ball and then throws a nice, accurate throw," McVay said. "It’s only going to go down in the books as a [five]-yard completion on the shallow cross, but that's good quarterback play right there. That's being a good decision-maker; that's playing in the rhythm and timing of the offense that we want."