The Falcons and the Rams, the reigning NFC champs, are both off to disappointing starts.
The Falcons (1-5) have lost four consecutive games, and the Rams (3-3) have lost three straight. The two teams are set to meet at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“Frankly, this is a Rams team that we didn’t expect to be a 3-3 either,” Fox analyst Charles Davis told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “They are coming in beat up. They’ve got a lot of injuries.”
With the trade deadline looming (Oct. 29), the Rams made some major moves last week, which included trading for cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who’ll be the X-factor in this game.
A potential Ramsey vs. Julio Jones matchup makes this game even more interesting.
“He’s an exciting player with a great and unique skill set,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “We are really looking forward to getting him in our building and getting to know him and figure out kind of the best way to fit him into our plans defensively, whether that means he goes immediately or if that takes some time will remain to be seen. It would be a good week to have him with all of the weapons (the Falcons) have.”
The Falcons expect Ramsey to play.
“He’ll have familiarity, whether it's three-deep or two-deep or what style they’re playing, it’s the tight man-to-man coverage that will stay likely true to what he has been doing,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “Obviously, he has been playing it at a high level, so I would anticipate that.”
This will be the 80th meeting of the two franchises. The Rams lead the regular-season series, 47-28-2. The Falcons are 2-0 against the Rams in the playoffs.
“This is a huge game for both sides for so many different reasons,” said Davis, who’ll call this game. “If Atlanta wants to keep any hope alive, the have to win it. The Rams are trying to right the ship. Three and three isn’t miserable, but when you’ve lost three straight, one to Seattle and to San Francisco within their own division, yeah, this is a big game for them as well.”
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