Rams' Jared Goff: Todd Gurley Faces 'Unfair' Narrative over Knee Injury Concerns

The status of Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley's knee is a major storyline for the defending NFC champions heading into the 2019 campaign, but quarterback Jared Goff doesn't seem particularly concerned.

"Todd is Todd, he doesn't need to become anything," Goff said during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio (h/t Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk). "He's done everything we've asked of him and more in the past few years. I think there's a narrative around him right now that's pretty unfair." 

He went on to say Gurley is "going to come back and do the same thing he's been doing."

This comes after Gurley said, "Y'all have got to stop putting this bad energy in my knee, man," per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "Just let it be."

Florio noted the knee bothered the running back throughout much of the 2018 campaign and pointed to reports that there is an arthritic component involved.

In May, Jay Glazer of The Athletic called the knee a "concern." Head coach Sean McVay also addressed it in March, saying the knee "absolutely" took a pounding and experienced wear and tear, per Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.

On the one hand, there is a track record in place when it comes to Gurley's production. In just four years in the league, he has a resume that includes Offensive Rookie of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, three Pro Bowl nods and two First-Team All-Pro selections.

He finished the 2018 season with 1,251 rushing yards, 580 receiving yards and 21 total touchdowns and was a major reason Los Angeles was so dominant.

However, he missed the final two games of the regular season and had a mere four carries for 10 yards in the NFC Championship Game win over the New Orleans Saints. He also had just 10 carries for 35 yards in the Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots and didn't resemble the same runner who was so effective during the regular season.

There may be reason for concern for Rams fans, but Goff isn't buying into the narrative.