The Atlanta Falcons trailed 28-3 to the Rams in the second half, but the team fought back to make it a close game. Falcons cornerback Darren Hall recovered a Cooper Kupp fumble late in the fourth quarter with the team trailing by six points.
Buy Falcons TicketsHowever, Marcus Mariota was picked off by Jalen Ramsey in the end zone and the Rams held on for a 31-27 win. Here are five takeaways from Atlanta’s latest heartbreaking loss.
1
Slow start
The Falcons had a chance to take an early lead but their promising first drive stalled out in the red zone and Younghoe Koo missed the field goal. From then on, the Rams had their way with Atlanta’s defense. Los Angeles got out to a 21-3 halftime lead that eventually grew to 28-3. Somehow, the Falcons cut it to a four-point game and nearly pulled off the upset, but it wasn’t meant to be.
2
Big day for London
On the bright side, first-round pick Drake London had a breakout game. For the second straight week, he went over 70 yards. This time, London finished with eight catches for 86 yards and a touchdown. The rookie also caught a two-point conversion that made it a six-point game late in the fourth quarter. London looks like the real deal so far, catching eight of 12 targets from Marcus Mariota on Sunday.
3
Kyle Pitts held to 19 yards, again
Kyle Pitts finished with two catches for 19 yards for the second week in a row. The second-year tight end was targeted just three times by Marcus Mariota Sunday. It’s one thing when Cordarrelle Patterson is running all over the opposing defense, but when he’s not, you would like to see better production out of Pitts. He’s simply too talented to be held under 20 yards for two straight games. Mariota needs to get him the ball.
4
Falcons special teams scores TD
Atlanta needed a play late in the game and the special teams unit delivered. Rookie Troy Andersen blocked a late Rams punt, which was scooped up by OLB Lorenzo Carter for a touchdown to make the game 31-25. While the Falcons ultimately fell short, they never appeared to let up and nearly left Los Angeles with an improbable victory.
5
Running attack slowed by Rams defense
Patterson had 120 yards in the season opener last week, but he couldn’t find the same kind of running room against the Rams’ front-seven on Sunday. He finished the game with 41 rushing yards on 10 carries. As a team, the Falcons rushed for just 90 yards on 27 carries. The early struggles of the running game compounded the team’s poor first-half performance and eventual 28-3 deficit. Rookie Tyler Allgeier finished his NFL debut with 30 yards on 10 carries.
