As defending Super Bowl champions, the Los Angeles Rams had the honor of hosting the NFL’s opening night — and it couldn’t have gone much worse. After getting blown out by the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, the Rams will stay at home to face the Atlanta Falcons, who nearly hung on for a victory over the division rival Saints last Sunday. Here’s our breakdown of the Falcons vs. Bears matchup, the key injuries, and predictions from our NFL staff.
Atlanta Falcons vs. Los Angeles Rams preview
The Falcons almost came out of Week 1 with a victory. Holding a 26-10 lead with 12:41 left in the game, Atlanta couldn’t stop Jameis Winston from hitting Michael Thomas for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and a Will Lutz field goal put the game on ice.
Despite the loss, there were positives for the Falcons last Sunday. Head coach Arthur Smith schemed up some exciting designs, and quarterback Marcus Mariota played well while rushing for six yards per attempt. Atlanta’s offensive line showed marked improvement over last season, paving the way for Cordarrelle Patterson’s 120 yards against New Orleans’ vaunted run defense.
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There weren’t any such silver linings in the Rams’ loss to the Bills. LA averaged just 3.7 yards per play, 31st in the NFL, and their run game went absolutely nowhere. Cooper Kupp got his (13-128-1), but free agent addition Allen Robinson was nowhere to be found.
The Rams’ offensive line got overwhelmed by Buffalo’s front, and they’ll now be without center Brian Allen for several weeks, which will force the club to reshuffle its OL. Luckily, Atlanta’s front seven doesn’t have nearly the talent that the Bills’ does, so Matthew Stafford — who got sacked seven times in Week 1 — should have more time to operate.
Falcons vs. Rams prediction
Betting line (courtesy of Caesars)
Rams -10; Falcons +400, Rams -550; O/U 46.5
Adam Beasley’s prediction
8-8-1 straight-up, 8-9 against the spread in 2022
Rams 30, Falcons 20
Dalton Miller’s prediction
9-7-1 straight-up, 8-9 against the spread in 2022
Rams 27, Falcons 21
Dallas Robinson’s prediction
9-7-1 straight-up, 6-11 against the spread in 2022
Rams 28, Falcons 17
How to watch Falcons vs. Rams
- Date/Time
Sunday, Sept. 18, 4:05 p.m. ET - Channel
FOX - Live stream
Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV (some markets), fuboTV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, FOX Now
Falcons vs. Rams matchup and stats
The Rams and Falcons both used to be in the NFC West under the NFL’s old divisional alignment. As such, these clubs have played each other a lot, but most of those matchups came before the league reconfigured its divisions in 2022. Los Angeles holds a decided 48-30-2 advantage in the all-time series.
The more recent history favors Atlanta, though, as the Falcons have won seven of the last nine games dating back to 2004. The Rams came away with a victory in the most recent matchup (a 37-10 victory in 2019), but Matt Ryan’s Falcons beat Jared Goff’s Rams in a Wild Card playoff matchup following the 2017 campaign.
Atlanta Falcons 2022 stats/rankings
- Scoring: 26.0 (eighth)
- Yards: 416.0 (sixth)
- Yards per play: 5.9 (10th)
- Passing: 215.0 (18th)
- Rushing: 201.0 (fourth)
- Defensive scoring: 27.0 (27th)
- Yards allowed: 385.0 (21st)
- Yards per play allowed: 6.8 (28th)
- Pass defense: 234.0 (18th)
- Rush defense: 151.0 (24th)
Los Angeles Rams 2022 stats/rankings
- Scoring: 10.0 (27th)
- Yards: 243.0 (31st)
- Yards per play: 3.7 (31st)
- Passing: 191.0 (25th)
- Rushing: 52.0 (32nd)
- Defensive scoring: 31.0 (29th)
- Yards allowed: 413.0 (26th)
- Yards per play allowed: 7.1 (31st)
- Pass defense: 292.0 (26th)
- Rush defense: 121.0 (19th)
Injuries to know
Atlanta Falcons
- RB Damien Williams (injured reserve)
- LB Deion Jones (injured reserve)
- LS Beau Brinkley (injured reserve)
- DL Marlon Davidson (injured reserve)
- TE John FitzPatrick (injured reserve)
- OL Jalen Mayfield (injured reserve)
- CB Isaiah Oliver (injured reserve)
- DT Vincent Taylor (injured reserve)
- WR Calvin Ridley (suspended)
Los Angeles Rams
- WR Van Jefferson (knee, out)
- C Brian Allen (knee, out)
- LB Leonard Floyd (knee, questionable)
- OT Joe Noteboom (knee, questionable)
- LS Matthew Orzech (calf, questionable)
- G Logan Bruss (injured reserve)
- RB Kyren Williams (injured reserve)
- RB Trey Ragas (injured reserve)
- LB Daniel Hardy (injured reserve)
- LB Travis Howard (non-football injury list)
- S Quentin Lake (physically unable to perform)