1/6/18 1:00pm
Wild Card Prediction: Falcons at Rams
Photo: Doug Upstone
By. Andrew Rodberg
After defeating the Panthers at home, courtesy of Matt Bryant’s 5 second half FG’s, the Falcons now look ahead to their wild card matchup with the LA Rams.
In the last meeting with the Rams in 2016, the Atlanta Falcons left victorious after a 42-14 blowout win. In a game that was won by star player, Matt Ryan who passed for 237 yards and 3 TD. They will look for the same success in this Wild card matchup.
Keys to Victory for ATL:
LA Rams known for having the most explosive running back in the league in Todd Gurley, the Falcons will need to limit his big plays. Gurley averaging 4.7 yards a carry and 13 TD’s will be the featured back that the Falcons will need to stop. As many know, that isn’t an easy task as Gurley is a physical runner. If Atlanta is able to stop Gurley from catching passes out the backfield and make him one-dimensional, it will pay dividends for the defense.
A negative trend for Atlanta during this season would have to be Matt Ryan’s inability to consistently get the ball to his favorite, most reliable target, Julio Jones. Whenever the Falcons get Julio going early, the offense runs fluid and they seem to put a lot more points on the board. This is key if the Falcons are going to make this a game. Get Julio Jones the ball.
Feed the ball to Coleman and Freeman. As many know, the Falcons running backs have taken a beating this year. With Freeman running mad, he has put himself in situations that have led to multiple concussions. With both Coleman and Freeman healthy, they both need to rotate and get 15 carries each to keep the defense honest.
Defensively for Atlanta they need to stick to their game-plan. They are a dangerous group of players when they are all in sync and feed off of each other. If Atlanta can handle their business, stop the Rams run game, and get Julio the ball, this game will be a win for Atlanta.
Prediction: Atlanta 31 Rams 28
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