The Los Angeles Rams sure made their Week 2 bout with the Atlanta Falcons more interesting than it needed to be. After getting blown out by the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, the Rams were able to narrowly defeat the Falcons 31-27 to give them a 1-1 record entering Week 3.
Buy Rams TicketsLos Angeles was seemingly running away with the game, going up 31-10 in the second half of the game. In the blink of an eye, the Falcons scored 15 unanswered points before the Rams purposely took a safety near the end of the game to avoid another special team’s mishap.
Following the unnecessary theatrics at the end, here are six takeaways from the Rams’ home victory over the Falcons.
1
Cam Akers received more touches than Darrell Henderson Jr.
Henderson led the way in the backfield for the Rams in Week 1 over Akers to the surprise of many. But after Sean McVay called out Akers, the Florida State product would see the majority of the touches for Los Angeles in Week 2.
Against the Bills, Henderson had 73 yards on 18 touches while Akers was limited to zero yards on three total touches. This week, Akers would receive 17 total touches compared to 10 touches for Henderson.
Even with more touches than Henderson, Akers was less effective again, posting 2.9 yards per attempt compared to 4.7 yards per attempt for his backfield mate. Trying to figure out this backfield continues to induce many headaches for those that like to partake in fantasy football.
2
Allen Robinson was more involved in the passing attack
There was a ton of hype surrounding the signing of Allen Robinson in the offseason, though, it was a forgettable debut in Week 1 versus the Bills. After making just one catch for 12 yards on two targets in the season opener, Robinson registered four catches, 53 yards, and one touchdown in the win over the Falcons.
On the first offensive drive of the game, the Rams made a concerted effort to get their new wideout involved in the offense as he posted two receptions for 16 yards and a touchdown to give Los Angeles an early lead. The veteran wide receiver came close to scoring two touchdowns, but the second one was blown dead due to a medical timeout.
The veteran wide receiver showed off his ability to thrive against man coverage against the Falcons and it was a positive sign to see Stafford have a better rapport with him in Week 2. Look for the two to build upon their positive performance in Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals.
3
Matthew Stafford continues to struggle with turnovers
It was a disastrous performance for the offense of the Rams in Week 1, especially for Stafford. The gunslinging quarterback completed 29 of his 41 attempts for 240 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions in the season-opening loss to the Bills.
Stafford was tied for the league lead in interceptions with 17 a season ago and it appears the veteran quarterback continues to struggle with limiting turnovers. After tossing three interceptions versus Buffalo, Stafford threw two more interceptions against Atlanta.
When you have an aggressive quarterback like Stafford, you understand that they are sometimes going to make risky throws that could result in interceptions. That being said, if the Rams want to repeat as champions, the veteran signal-caller will need to clean up his interception problem.
4
Offensive line performed reasonably better
While it wasn’t a positive sight to see Stafford throw two more interceptions, the offensive line did a fantastic job keeping him upright. Amid injuries to Brian Allen and Joseph Noteboom in Week 1, the offensive line allowed a whopping seven sacks.
Even with Allen sidelined, and Tremayne Anchrum being carted off of the field early in the win against the Falcons, the offensive line surrendered only one sack on Sunday. A.J. Jackson would replace Anchrum early in the game at right guard while Coleman Shelton performed well in place of Allen at center.
Despite the Falcons not having a premier pass-rushing unit, it was nice to see the offensive line bounce back in Week 2.
5
Cobie Durant made the most of his opportunity
The Rams suffered a couple of injuries in the secondary, with Troy Hill exiting the game in the first half due to a groin issue. Rookie corner Cobie Durant would replace Hill at the cornerback position and he unquestionably made the most of his opportunity.
The fourth-round pick out of South Carolina State would record his first career interception on Marcus Mariota, returning it 51 yards to set the offense up with good field position. Stafford would proceed to connect with Kupp to give the Rams a 21-3 before halftime following Durant’s interception.
Besides the interception, Durant would also be one of two players to log a sack on Mariota in the game. While the Rams await the injury news on Hill, it was nice to see the first-year cornerback step up in his absence.
6
Jordan Fuller saw the field more after being limited in Week 1
We saw a heavy dose of Taylor Rapp and Nick Scott in Week 1 versus the Bills at both safety spots. Jordan Fuller played on only 31 percent of the defensive snaps in the season opener, but that didn’t appear to be the case in Week 2.
The third-year safety received an increase in snaps this week, resulting in him recording eight combined tackles versus the Falcons. Fuller logged the second-most tackles on the Rams, putting him behind only Ernest Jones.
The lack of snaps for Fuller in Week 1 could have simply been due to him being limited in the offseason due to ankle surgery. Moving forward, it appears we’ll get a rotation of Rapp, Scott, and Fuller at the backend of the secondary.
