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NFC West quarterback power rankings: Where does 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo rank?

By Peter Panacy

HOUSTON, TX - DECEMBER 10: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass in the third quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - DECEMBER 10: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass in the third quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TN – DECEMBER 24: Quarterback Jared Goff #16 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on during a game against the Tennessee Titians at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – DECEMBER 24: Quarterback Jared Goff #16 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on during a game against the Tennessee Titians at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

. Jared Goff. 3. team. 51. .

Now for the real evaluations in the NFC West.

Coming in at No. 3 on this list is Jared Goff. Goff enjoyed a breakout year in 2017, making it to the Pro Bowl after an impressive 28-touchdown campaign in which he posted a 100.5 passer rating and led the league in yards per completion (12.9).

Pretty impressive, considering what was such a lowly start to his NFL career.

Rams head coach Sean McVay gets a lot of credit here, as does running back Todd Gurley, whose MVP-like prowess took a lot of pressure off Goff throughout the season.

L.A. boasted one of the better offensive lines in the league last season, and that figures to continue this year too. Even when under pressure, Goff remained effective, posting a 75.7 passer rating when facing pressure, per Pro Football Focus, which ranked 12th in the league out of 40 qualifiers. In comparison, the 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo (63.3) ranked 24th in this same category.

Based off this alone, Goff should be ahead of Garoppolo in this ranking. But the 49ers had far less firepower in 2017 (we’ll get to that in a moment) and the Rams boasted a heck of a lot more playmakers.

Remember, this is QB-only power ranking. Not the entire offense.

Still, Goff is working his way to being one of the upper-tier quarterbacks in the NFL. More than a few teams around the league would be more than happy with him under center.

Meanwhile, the Rams are happy their guy is panning out.