On the hot seat: The Falcons’ offensive line
The Falcons’ offensive line needs a better performance than what it gave in the regular-season finale against the Panthers on Sunday.
Quarterback Matt Ryan was under duress for most of the game, as he was sacked once and hit eight times.
The Rams have a solid defensive front led by four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who had 11 sacks this season.
The Rams had 48 sacks, which was fourth in the NFL. In addition to Donald, Robert Quinn had eight sacks, Connor Barwin five and Michael Brockers 4.5.
The Falcons will play without starting left guard Andy Levitre, who aggravated his triceps injury while playing five plays against the Panthers and was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.
Ben Garland, who will see Donald on some snaps as the Rams move him around, is set to start at left guard.
“They are an extremely talented front,” Garland said. “The have some Pro Bowl players. They have a lot of talent over there.”
Garland’s play is starting to level off. He was a bit rocky as he took over for Levitre after the Minnesota game. He made three starts before coming off the bench in the regular-season finale.
“The more I play, the more I love it,” Garland said. “That’s the reason I practice every day, because I want to play as much as I can.”
The Falcons know Donald is a full load to handle.
“We’ve got to contain 99,” right tackle Ryan Schraeder said. “We have to make sure that he doesn’t wreck our game. We have to get the run game going to slow down their pass rushers. We have to finish.”
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
