As head coach Arthur Smith said following Sunday’s 31-27 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the Atlanta Falcons “need to break through.”
After suffering two losses by a combined five points, Atlanta must find a way to turn things around. While it’s too early to write any team off just yet, an 0-3 start would be tough for even the most loyal of Falcons fans to stomach.
Before we begin looking forward to Sunday’s game in Seattle, check out these 11 key stats from Atlanta’s Week 2 loss in Los Angeles.
1: Sack by the Falcons defense
After the Falcons came away with four sacks in Week 1, they couldn’t get to Matthew Stafford on Sunday. Second-year OLB Adetokunbo Ogundeji recorded Atlanta’s lone sack in Week 2.
2: Interceptions by the Falcons defense
Falcons CB Casey Hayward recorded his 25th career interception on a pass intended for Rams TE Tyler Higbee. Later in the second half, LB Mykal Walker made an incredible play to tip a Matthew Stafford pass to himself for the team’s second pick of the game.
3-10: Third-down conversions by Falcons offense
The Falcons converted just three third downs on the day. This was obviously a major factor in the team getting into a 25-point second-half deficit. The Rams, on the other hand, were 6-10 on their third-down attempts.
17: Points scored by Atlanta in the 4th quarter
While they looked like useless garbage-time stats at first, the Falcons 17-point fourth quarter nearly helped them steal the game. Trailing 31-25, Atlanta was in scoring position with a chance to take the lead before Mariota’s red-zone interception.
19: Receiving yards by Falcons TE Kyle Pitts
While it’s already been covered to death, Kyle Pitts finished Week 2 with just 19 receiving yards for the second game in a row. Pitts had just three targets, but neither he, nor head coach Arthur Smith appear to be concerned about it.
24: Total first downs by Rams offense
The Rams didn’t do much on the ground, but they had no problem throwing all over the Falcons and racking up 24 first downs on Sunday. In contrast, the Falcons racked up 17 first downs in Week 2.
26: Yards Lorenzo Carter ran on blocked punt TD
The play that deserves more attention is the blocked punt that spurred the Falcons’ comeback attempt. Rookie LB Troy Andersen blocked the punt which OLB Lorenzo Carter recovered and ran 26 yards for the touchdown.
30: Rushing yards from rookie RB Tyler Allgeier
Allgeier made his much-anticipated debut against the Rams, although there wasn’t much to write home about. Like Cordarrelle Patterson, Allgeier struggled to find running room. The rookie finished with 30 rushing yards on 10 carries.
77.5: Mykal Walker's PFF grade after 2 weeks
Mykal Walker was selected as PFF’s breakout player candidate for 2022, and thus far, he’s been the team’s highest-graded defensive starter. Walker made a beautiful interception on Sunday, while adding seven tackles.
81.3: PFF's Week 2 receiving grade for Drake London
London went off for eight catches, 86 yards and one touchdown. The first-round pick was PFF’s highest-rated rookie WR in Week 2.
Highest receiving grades among rookie WRs in Week 2:
🔴 Drake London – 81.3
🗽 Garrett Wilson – 78.0
🪖 Jahan Dotson – 73.0 pic.twitter.com/W2pvZ0doxH— PFF (@PFF) September 19, 2022
99.7: Rams' win probability with 12 minutes left, per ESPN
The Rams took a 28-3 lead in the second half, and things looked grim for the Falcons. However, after a forced fumble on Cooper Kupp and blocked punt for a touchdown, Atlanta had a chance to take the lead with under two minutes left.
