Atlanta Falcons: Quick thoughts on Wild Card Round matchup vs. Rams
By Derek Snyder
The Atlanta Falcons will be headed out west to face the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild-Card round. Here are some quick thoughts on the match-up.
In one of the wildest seasons in recent memory, the Atlanta Falcons proved there’s no such thing as a Super Bowl hangover by clinching their second-straight trip to the NFL Playoffs with a win in Week 17 against Carolina. With an unprecedented win for the Buccaneers over the Saints, the Dirty Birds will be headed out west to face the Los Angeles Rams.
If we’re looking at the potential match-ps Atlanta could’ve ended up with, it’s pretty clear that the Rams were one of the best options. While the Falcons have played the Saints tough over the least few seasons, weird things tend to happen to them in the Superdome.
If you saw Marshon Lattimore’s interception in Week 16 against the Dirty Birds, you know exactly what I’m talking about. That said, for at least one more year, the Falcons avoid having to play a playoff game in New Orleans. I think we all can agree that’s a win within itself.
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With Atlanta getting prepared to face the Rams next weekend, let’s take a look at some of Los Angeles’ most-telling characteristics from 2017.
Finishing the season at 11-5, the Rams have been the most-impressive team in the NFC, going from worst to first in numerous statistical categories; however, it’s been their improvement on offense that has propelled them to a whole other level.
In only his second NFL season, Jared Goff threw for 3,804 yards, 28 touchdowns and only seven interceptions in 2017. Just a year ago, people were talking about Goff being one of the worst first overall draft picks in history. I guess no one considered how much a coaching change would drastically change his understanding of the professional game, yet here were are.
Even with a vastly-improved quarterback this season, it’s Todd Gurley who can give the Falcons all kinds of problems on Saturday night. Finishing the season with over 2,000 all-purpose yards and 19 total touchdowns, Gurley is definitely in the discussion for the league’s MVP award, one that Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan won last season. If Atlanta’s defense has another sloppy tackling performance, the Rams offense will control the game from start to finish.
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At the end of the day, Atlanta should consider themselves lucky to have avoided playing in Carolina or New Orleans in the first-round of the NFC Playoffs. That doesn’t mean the Rams won’t knock Dan Quinn’s squad out next weekend, but I promise you the Dirty Birds would much rather take their chances against a head coach and quarterback who’ve never played or coached in the NFL Playoffs.