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Jared Goff and Kirk Cousins each go over 250 yards passing ... in the first half

frank schwab
NFL writer

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was pretty amazing in the first half of “Thursday Night Football.”

And Cousins was the second-best quarterback on the field.

It’s not often you can be overshadowed throwing for 255 yards and two touchdowns in a half, but Jared Goff had one of the best halves you’ll see a quarterback have.

Goff had 251 yards and four touchdowns on 13-of-17 passing. For some quarterbacks that’s a career night. For Goff it was time to make some halftime adjustments.

Jared Goff was remarkable in the first half

Goff has been remarkable this season but he hadn’t faced a defense like the Vikings. It turns out, the Vikings hadn’t faced an offense like the Rams.

Minnesota led the NFL in yards and points allowed last season. While they don’t have Pro Bowl end Everson Griffen, who is away tending to personal matters, it’s still a defense with elite players all over the place. It didn’t look that way in a pretty amazing first half by Goff.

Goff was hitting everyone. The Rams got a mismatch with Todd Gurley against linebacker Anthony Barr, and Goff hit him for a touchdown. Then the Rams got a mismatch with Cooper Kupp against Barr, and Goff hit him for a 70-yard score. Later, Goff floated a touchdown pass to the back of the end zone to Kupp, one of the prettiest throws in the NFL this season.

The Vikings gave up 28 points in a game just twice last regular season. The Rams had 28 by halftime.

Kirk Cousins was really good too

Cousins, the Vikings’ big free-agent addition, was great too. He made some wonderful throws, especially his first touchdown that floated over Rams cornerback Marcus Peters to Aldrick Robinson in the end zone. Don’t forget, Cousins was facing a very good defense himself. He just couldn’t keep up with Goff.

Coaching has helped Goff, the No. 1 pick of the draft in 2016. Goff looked like a bust as a rookie, then McVay came along. Goff looked much better in his second season and he. looks like a superstar in his third season.

Thursday night games haven’t always been good. They’ve been getting better, and the first half of Thursday night this week was a treat. Quarterback play in the NFL has never been better, on the whole, and that was never more apparent watching Cousins and Goff trade big plays.

Jared Goff had four touchdown passes in the first half against the Vikings. (AP)
Jared Goff had four touchdown passes in the first half against the Vikings. (AP)

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!