The Falcoholic
The Rams had more yards, nearly twice as many passing yards, and outscored the Falcons 24-6 in the second half. If you skipped the game—in your defense, you were very sleepy—and woke up to that small assortment of facts, you’d assume Los Angeles destroyed Atlanta in primetime.
But that’s not what happened, of course. What happened was the defense putting on a masterclass performance in the first half, shutting out Matthew Stafford and that high-powered offense entirely along the way. They sacked him, harried him, and picked him off three times, one from Jessie Bates and two from Xavier Watts. The passing game was sad, frankly, but a record-breaking Bijan Robinson ensured that didn’t matter all that much, as he scored two touchdowns, broke off a 93 yard run, finished with 195 rushing yards, and led the team in receptions and nearly in receiving yards. Zane Gonzalez shook off a blocked field goal and hit two clutch 50-plus yarders, a 56-yarder and the game-deciding 51-yarder as the clock ran down. The Falcons needed a little luck, but they helped themselves with some strong coverage on the game’s final drive. Under the bright lights, it was enough to beat one of the NFL’s best teams, and to extend Atlanta’s winning streak to three games in a row.
What’s maddening is that this kind of performance should have mattered a great deal. It should have sewn up the division for the Falcons, if not for bewildering blowouts at the hands of the Panthers and Dolphins, missed kicks that ruined late chances against the Buccaneers and Patriots, and one infuriating, listless loss to the Jets. Win even one of those games and you’re in the playoffs, but instead the Falcons only found themselves when it was too late. That makes even a stellar win bittersweet, and makes the future of this team as cloudy as ever.
Because let’s face it: This team is far from a finished product, and even further away from being a consistently great team. They failed to block Jared Verse on a scoop-and-score blocked field goal, left everyone from Puka Nacua to Colby Parkinson to Xavier Smith wide open downfield at some point, likely got away with a late pass interference that would have given the Rams a chance to win or tie the game, and got truly discouraging production from their passing game and both Kyle Pitts and Drake London in particular. It was a warty, uneven effort this team could have lost in a dozen ways, and that kind of effort is so familiar that it’s hard not to want the winds of change to arrive in Flowery Branch this spring.
But. We knew this Falcons team had talent and a certain amount of grit, and regardless of any very justified grumbling we might do, beating the Rams is no mean feat. Beating the Rams when you’re almost totally reliant on one player on offense, your kicker, and your young defense to do so is crazy work,...
