After an exciting finish to week 1, the Rams looked destined to go into Atlanta and beat former teammate Steven Jackson. Well, wrong is a complete understatement; not only did the team come out flat, but the first half was reminiscent of the Ram era prior to Jeff Fisher. One mistake after the next, penalties piling up, the offense was totally out of sync, and it looked like the Rams were going to be run out of the Georgia Dome.
Falcons running back Steven Jackson managed to capitalize on a quick a touchdown before going down with a leg injury against his former team. Following another shutdown of the Rams offense, Matt Ryan connected with Julio Jones to completely split the defense for an 81-yard reception touchdown. To make matters worse, Bradford got picked off early in the second quarter and was taken back to the house for a 68 yard pick 6; this mistake would be the ultimate wound that destroyed the Rams chance for a victory.
To the team’s credit, they refused to go away in the second half. I can only imagine what Jeff Fisher and his staff had to say at halftime, but something seemed to ignite the fire in his squad. The defense started to come up with clutch stops and provided the offense with plenty of chances in the third quarter. The defense continues to be led by Robert Quinn who tallied yet another sack this week along with two tackles for a loss.
Finally with just over a minute left in the third quarter, Tavon Austin made a brilliant catch at the edge of the end zone for his first career touchdown. This seemed to spark quarterback Sam Bradford and company. Due to their large deficit, Bradford was forced to pass much of the second half and ended up going 32 of 55 for 352 yards. A majority of the completions and yardage came in the second half when the Rams gained a little momentum with wide receiver screens and slants. The team also ran a hurry-up offense for a majority of the second half, which could explain Bradford’s overwhelming passing statistics.
While they continued to fight to the end, the effort was too little and mainly too late. The team did not show up to play from the start and that is what ultimately cost them the game. This will have to serve as a learning experience for the team because it does not get any easier next week when they travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys.
The offensive struggle in the first half has to be troublesome for Fisher’s staff. The main issue is evident; they are having an extremely difficult time running the football. In week two, the team had just 69 yards, which is primarily what forced Bradford to air for most of the second half. One has to wonder if management is going to make a move to get some help at the running back position as the Rams rank 27th in rushing yards this season.
The start to the game Sunday will be crucial to the game’s result. It’s very simple, if the Rams want to escape with an away victory, they must come out aggressively from the first snap. Word to the wise, Austin was drafted 8th overall this past off-season for a reason, lets get this kid involved in a majority of the offensive drives. The threat of Austin on the field will open up room for the run game and allow the Rams to capitalize on defensive mistakes. Bottom line, Jackson won this battle, but can the Rams win the war? That will keep all Rams fans watching next week.