Rams QB Jared Goff tosses first career NFL touchdown passes.

— -- NEW ORLEANS -- Jared Goff threw his first career touchdown pass on the first drive of Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and it was a beauty.

Goff took a snap from the shotgun and tossed a perfect, 24-yard lob pass to under-used, 5-foot-8 receiver Tavon Austin, giving the Los Angeles Rams an early 7-0 lead in a game they basically need to win.

He notched his second career touchdown pass in the second quarter, a 6-yard scoring pass to receiver Kenny Britt?that gave the Rams a 14-7 lead. The touchdown pass came after a Saints turnover forced by defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who stripped the ball from quarterback Drew Brees on a sack inside the 10-yard line.

Goff also committed his first NFL turnover on Sunday, losing a fumble on a sack by Saints rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins. Brees turned the turnover into 7 points for the Saints when he scored on a 4th-and-1 play to give the Saints a 21-14 lead.

Goff's first touchdown pass completed a drive that saw he and the Rams gain 75 yards in less than three minutes. It began with a 31-yard catch-and-run to struggling running back Todd Gurley and also included a 17-yard back-shoulder throw to primary receiver Kenny Britt, who is having a career season.

In his debut last week, a 14-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins, Goff attempted only five passes that traveled more than 10 yards, all of which fell incomplete.