When the Los Angeles Rams’ schedule was released, the Atlanta Falcons looked like a very beatable team in Week 2 – a nice bounce back after facing the Buffalo Bills in the opener.
Buy Rams TicketsWhile the Rams still look like the better team, the Falcons won’t be the easiest opponent. They nearly beat the Saints in Week 1, which would’ve been quite the statement.
The Rams can’t take the Falcons lightly, even being at home this Sunday. Here are the Rams’ four biggest causes for concern.
Offensive line shuffling
The Rams’ offensive line already took a hit when Andrew Whitworth retired and Austin Corbett left in free agency. Then in Week 1, Joe Noteboom and Brian Allen suffered knee injuries. Noteboom is expected to play, but Allen will miss 2-4 weeks, including this one.
That means Coleman Shelton is moving from right guard to center, and Tremayne Anchrum Jr. will make his first career start, sliding in at right guard. That’s a big concern for an offensive line that allowed seven sacks last week. Anchrum will get thrown right to the fire with Grady Jarrett lining up on the other side. If the Rams can’t protect Stafford again, the offense could be in trouble.
Defending Falcons’ running game
The Falcons ran all over the Saints in Week 1. Marcus Mariota had 72 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, while Cordarrelle Patterson gained 120 yards on 22 carries – and his longest rush was only 15 yards, so he was gaining solid chunks of yardage at a time.
The Rams did a decent job against the Bills last week, giving up 121 yards on the ground, but this is a different attack from Atlanta. Mariota and Patterson can effectively run zone reads, and Patterson runs with both speed and power, a dangerous combination for a running back.
The Rams must shut down the Falcons’ running game, which sets up everything for them offensively.
Pressuring Marcus Mariota
The Saints could barely get near Mariota in the opener. Not only did they fail to sack him once, but they only landed one hit on him when he dropped back to pass – and it was on a blitz by Demario Davis. That’s a team with Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport, too.
The Rams need to do a better job rushing the passer than they did last week against a solid Falcons offensive line that protected Mariota extremely well in Week 1. The Rams barely got near Josh Allen in their first game, either, landing just two hits on him, which came on their two sacks.
Lack of a rushing attack
No team in the NFL rushed for fewer yards in Week 1 than the Rams. They had just 52 yards on the ground, 47 of which were from Darrell Henderson Jr. Cam Akers gained zero yards on three carries, and Henderson averaged just 3.6 yards per attempt. It was unquestionably a bad day on the ground, outside of one 18-yard run by Henderson.
The Saints’ running backs averaged 4.7 yards per carry against the Falcons, and Taysom Hill rushed for 81 yards on only four carries, so they did find running room against Atlanta. The Rams must improve in that department this weekend.
