The Atlanta Falcons will kick off Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Sunday after both teams suffered losses in Week 1. The Falcons started their season with a 27-26 loss to the New Orleans Saints, while the Rams were defeated 31-10 by the Buffalo Bills.
According to BetMGM, the Rams are the favorite with a -10,5 point spread at -110, while the Falcons are the underdog with a +10,5 point spread at -110.
Rams’ offensive line
According to sports analyst Alex Lord, the Falcons can have an advantage in the offensive area over the Rams as Lord claimed that the Rams’ offensive line has been their biggest area of vulnerability since the team’s Week 1 performance.
On offense, the Rams only managed an average of 1.9 yards before contact during the game against the Bulls. Aside from that, the Rams had 243 total yards gained on offense and three team turnovers lost (TO).
Lord also said that the Bulls’ Von Miller completely outplayed the Rams’ left tackle, Joseph Noteboom, during the game against the Bulls, resulting in Noteboom’s underperformance.
David Edwards, an offensive lineman for the Rams, had a poor game as well. Subsequently, Lord blamed the Rams’ offensive struggles on Sean McVay’s game plan, the offensive line, Matthew Stafford’s “tendency to hold onto the ball and a lack of mobility.”
For Lord, the Falcons can gain an edge in this game if they’re able to keep the Rams’ offense off balance.
Grady Jarrett, a defensive tackle for the Falcons, is anticipated to play with the same ferocity as in Week 1 when he finished with 1.5 sacks and six total tackles against the Saints. Atlanta exceeded their best game-high in sacks in the past two seasons thanks to their strong performance in their most recent game.
Matt Urben’s take on Sunday’s game
According to Matt Urben of Falcons Wire, who spoke with the Rams Wire, there is also a certain issue on Atlanta that could be holding them back.
“In my opinion, the biggest thing holding this team back is the lack of overall depth on the roster,” Urben asserted. “Obviously, there’s some talent with guys like A.J. Terrell and Grady Jarrett, but the Falcons have seven new starters on defense alone this season.”
“When things are going well, the talent of this group is clear, but when things start to go wrong, the team’s lack of chemistry begins to show itself.”
When asked if he expects the Falcons to use A.J. Terrell against the Rams’ Cooper Kupp, Urben mentioned that the Falcons might alter Terrell’s role strategy.
“While the Falcons generally tend to keep Terrell on one side of the field, I could see the team making an exception for Cooper Kupp. Atlanta added Casey Hayward over the offseason to help take some pressure off of Terrell in the secondary, but both cornerbacks struggled in Week 1,” Urben said.
“Expect Kupp to see a healthy amount of Terrell, with some Darren Hall, Mike Ford and Dee Alford thrown in the mix on Sunday.”