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Overview
After missing the majority of the 2003 regular season and 2004 preseason because of various injuries, Atlanta QB Michael Vick's rust showed in his four-sack, one-fumble and one-interception debut versus the 49ers. Vick was able to lead his team to victory in the opener, but in order to make it two in a row against a much more athletic Rams defense, Vick must make fewer mistakes and provide more big plays.
The Rams have concerns at quarterback as well, as Marc Bulger was inconsistent at best in his debut. However, with the threesome of WRs Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce and RB Marshall Faulk working against an injury-riddled Falcons back seven, this matchup has all the makings of a shootout.
When the Rams have the ball
Rushing:
The Rams have to be encouraged by the play of Faulk, who, at 31, had missed 11 games the past two seasons and is also coming off of two knee operations last year. Faulk split some carries with rookie Steven Jackson, but it was made clear that Faulk is the Rams' load-carrier, as he rushed for 128 yards and also had two receptions in the team's opener against the Cardinals.
While head coach Mike Martz will always employ a pass-first approach on offense, the running game should be successful for the Rams when they need to rely on it on Sunday. For starters, the Falcons gave up only 93 yards last week but that number is skewed because the 49ers were playing from behind throughout most of the game. While the Rams certainly aren't as strong up front with Kyle Turley out of the lineup, they still have four of last year's five starters and should be able to control the line of scrimmage against a somewhat undersized one-gap front four of the Falcons.
Passing: Turnovers and an inability to execute within the red zone are two major concerns for the Rams' offense as it game plans for Sunday's matchup against the Falcons. However, if the Rams can clean up those fixable mistakes, they have the right matchups to exploit in the passing game. The key is going to be Bulger's poise, recognition skills and accuracy.
Falcons LDE Patrick Kerney could give fill-in starter Grant Williams some problems, but the rest of the Rams' offensive line should hold up well, which means they should be able to give Williams the "chip" and occasional double-team help that he needs.
If Bulger has the time, he should be able to pick apart the Falcons' secondary, which clearly misses rookie first-round pick DeAngelo Hall. The Falcons held up well in coverage last week, but that was against a 49ers offense that rotated in two quarterbacks and doesn't come close to matching up to the explosiveness at wide receiver that Holt and Bruce provide the Rams.
Because of the Falcons' lack of depth at the cornerback position, the Rams should have a great opportunity to spread the field with a lot of three-and-four receiver sets. By getting Holt, Bruce, Shaun McDonald and Dane Looker all on the field at the same time, it not only will create mismatches against FS Cory Hall and nickel cornerback Aaron Beasley, but it also will help to provide Holt and Bruce with more one-on-one matchups or more room to operate versus zone coverage.
When the Falcons have the ball
Rushing: The Falcons got two rushing touchdowns out of RB Warrick Dunn, but in all reality the running game was not nearly as effective against the 49ers as it needs to be for the Falcons to maintain a balanced offensive attack this season. The team averaged just 3.4 yards per carry and, with concerns about the health of starting LOG Michael Moore (shoulder) and LOT Kevin Shaffer (knee), who both left last week's game because of injury, things could be even tougher on the ground for the Falcons this week. The Falcons, however, aren't the only ones in this matchup who were hit by the injury bug, as Rams SLB Pisa Tinoisamoa is out indefinitely after suffering a dislocated shoulder last week.
All in all, the Falcons match up a little bit better in this facet of the game. The Rams are active and cover a lot of ground up front, but they still are susceptible to teams that can run right at them. While Dunn is one of the smallest starting running backs in the NFL, he is still a solid north-south runner because of his burst, vision and ability to find and get through small creases.
Dunn carried most of the rushing load last week for the Falcons, but we should also expect to see more of T.J. Duckett. Duckett had only two carries and didn't see his first until late in the third quarter, but his size and power make him a good fit as a back who can wear down the Rams' undersized front seven. With undersized ends in Leonard Little and Bryce Fisher, and without Tinoisamoa on the strong side, the Rams are vulnerable to off-tackle, cutback and zone running plays.
Passing: There isn't a defense in the NFL that can completely bottle up Vick, but the Rams' is at least designed to limit athletic quarterbacks' rushing potential. Not only does the Rams' overall speed help in terms of keeping Vick's rushing yards to a minimum, but the cover-2 also allows linebackers and defensive backs to face the quarterback in zone coverage rather than turning their backs when they turn and run downfield with receivers in man-to-man coverage.
Vick is still a huge threat to run and the Rams need to take that into account by making sure their ends are disciplined and their tackles stay home with more of a two-gap approach to pass rushing. But Vick's overall potential to take this game over with his ability to run after things break down in the pocket is not nearly as good as it will be against most of the Falcons' other opponents this season.
With all of that said, Vick is still clearly in the process of learning his new offensive scheme. His timing is not where it needs to be and he doesn't have the quick decision making skills yet to properly run the system. Because this version of the West Coast is so dependent on quick-hitting and horizontal routes, look for the Rams to play a lot of press coverage with DCs Jerametrius Butler and DeJuan Groce against WRs Peerless Price and Dez White.
The Rams lack great depth at cornerback and they don't have the athletes or speed to turn and run with Price or White, but if they can impede their releases and funnel everything inside, the Falcons' overall timing will struggle in the passing game.
Finally, tight ends can be huge weapons against the cover-2 scheme because of their ability to attack the seams between linebackers and safeties. Alge Crumpler is one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the NFL and he got off to a strong start last week. Without Tinoisamoa to match up against him, the Falcons will be looking to get Crumpler as involved as possible.
Scouts' Edge
It might be a road game, but playing indoors (weather isn't a factor) and on turf (which accentuates their team speed), the Rams have all the comforts of home minus the fan base. Bulger needs to be more consistent and the Rams need to help Williams versus Kerney in pass protection, but overall the Rams have the edge on offense. Look for the Rams to spread the Falcons out, taking advantage of their depth advantage at wide receiver over that of the Falcons' secondary.
Also, with the Falcons having to play a lot of nickel and dime packages, Faulk -- and Jackson to a lesser extent -- should provide some big chunks on quick-hitting running plays. The Falcons' offense is also more dangerous on turf simply because of Vick's speed and athleticism, but with Vick still adjusting to the new West Coast scheme and with major question marks up front because of injuries to Moore and Shaffer, the Falcons simply won't have enough offensive ammunition to keep up with the Rams in this one.
After missing the majority of the 2003 regular season and 2004 preseason because of various injuries, Atlanta QB Michael Vick's rust showed in his four-sack, one-fumble and one-interception debut versus the 49ers. Vick was able to lead his team to victory in the opener, but in order to make it two in a row against a much more athletic Rams defense, Vick must make fewer mistakes and provide more big plays.
The Rams have concerns at quarterback as well, as Marc Bulger was inconsistent at best in his debut. However, with the threesome of WRs Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce and RB Marshall Faulk working against an injury-riddled Falcons back seven, this matchup has all the makings of a shootout.
When the Rams have the ball
Rushing:
The Rams have to be encouraged by the play of Faulk, who, at 31, had missed 11 games the past two seasons and is also coming off of two knee operations last year. Faulk split some carries with rookie Steven Jackson, but it was made clear that Faulk is the Rams' load-carrier, as he rushed for 128 yards and also had two receptions in the team's opener against the Cardinals.
While head coach Mike Martz will always employ a pass-first approach on offense, the running game should be successful for the Rams when they need to rely on it on Sunday. For starters, the Falcons gave up only 93 yards last week but that number is skewed because the 49ers were playing from behind throughout most of the game. While the Rams certainly aren't as strong up front with Kyle Turley out of the lineup, they still have four of last year's five starters and should be able to control the line of scrimmage against a somewhat undersized one-gap front four of the Falcons.
Passing: Turnovers and an inability to execute within the red zone are two major concerns for the Rams' offense as it game plans for Sunday's matchup against the Falcons. However, if the Rams can clean up those fixable mistakes, they have the right matchups to exploit in the passing game. The key is going to be Bulger's poise, recognition skills and accuracy.
Falcons LDE Patrick Kerney could give fill-in starter Grant Williams some problems, but the rest of the Rams' offensive line should hold up well, which means they should be able to give Williams the "chip" and occasional double-team help that he needs.
If Bulger has the time, he should be able to pick apart the Falcons' secondary, which clearly misses rookie first-round pick DeAngelo Hall. The Falcons held up well in coverage last week, but that was against a 49ers offense that rotated in two quarterbacks and doesn't come close to matching up to the explosiveness at wide receiver that Holt and Bruce provide the Rams.
Because of the Falcons' lack of depth at the cornerback position, the Rams should have a great opportunity to spread the field with a lot of three-and-four receiver sets. By getting Holt, Bruce, Shaun McDonald and Dane Looker all on the field at the same time, it not only will create mismatches against FS Cory Hall and nickel cornerback Aaron Beasley, but it also will help to provide Holt and Bruce with more one-on-one matchups or more room to operate versus zone coverage.
When the Falcons have the ball
Rushing: The Falcons got two rushing touchdowns out of RB Warrick Dunn, but in all reality the running game was not nearly as effective against the 49ers as it needs to be for the Falcons to maintain a balanced offensive attack this season. The team averaged just 3.4 yards per carry and, with concerns about the health of starting LOG Michael Moore (shoulder) and LOT Kevin Shaffer (knee), who both left last week's game because of injury, things could be even tougher on the ground for the Falcons this week. The Falcons, however, aren't the only ones in this matchup who were hit by the injury bug, as Rams SLB Pisa Tinoisamoa is out indefinitely after suffering a dislocated shoulder last week.
All in all, the Falcons match up a little bit better in this facet of the game. The Rams are active and cover a lot of ground up front, but they still are susceptible to teams that can run right at them. While Dunn is one of the smallest starting running backs in the NFL, he is still a solid north-south runner because of his burst, vision and ability to find and get through small creases.
Dunn carried most of the rushing load last week for the Falcons, but we should also expect to see more of T.J. Duckett. Duckett had only two carries and didn't see his first until late in the third quarter, but his size and power make him a good fit as a back who can wear down the Rams' undersized front seven. With undersized ends in Leonard Little and Bryce Fisher, and without Tinoisamoa on the strong side, the Rams are vulnerable to off-tackle, cutback and zone running plays.
Passing: There isn't a defense in the NFL that can completely bottle up Vick, but the Rams' is at least designed to limit athletic quarterbacks' rushing potential. Not only does the Rams' overall speed help in terms of keeping Vick's rushing yards to a minimum, but the cover-2 also allows linebackers and defensive backs to face the quarterback in zone coverage rather than turning their backs when they turn and run downfield with receivers in man-to-man coverage.
Vick is still a huge threat to run and the Rams need to take that into account by making sure their ends are disciplined and their tackles stay home with more of a two-gap approach to pass rushing. But Vick's overall potential to take this game over with his ability to run after things break down in the pocket is not nearly as good as it will be against most of the Falcons' other opponents this season.
With all of that said, Vick is still clearly in the process of learning his new offensive scheme. His timing is not where it needs to be and he doesn't have the quick decision making skills yet to properly run the system. Because this version of the West Coast is so dependent on quick-hitting and horizontal routes, look for the Rams to play a lot of press coverage with DCs Jerametrius Butler and DeJuan Groce against WRs Peerless Price and Dez White.
The Rams lack great depth at cornerback and they don't have the athletes or speed to turn and run with Price or White, but if they can impede their releases and funnel everything inside, the Falcons' overall timing will struggle in the passing game.
Finally, tight ends can be huge weapons against the cover-2 scheme because of their ability to attack the seams between linebackers and safeties. Alge Crumpler is one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the NFL and he got off to a strong start last week. Without Tinoisamoa to match up against him, the Falcons will be looking to get Crumpler as involved as possible.
Scouts' Edge
It might be a road game, but playing indoors (weather isn't a factor) and on turf (which accentuates their team speed), the Rams have all the comforts of home minus the fan base. Bulger needs to be more consistent and the Rams need to help Williams versus Kerney in pass protection, but overall the Rams have the edge on offense. Look for the Rams to spread the Falcons out, taking advantage of their depth advantage at wide receiver over that of the Falcons' secondary.
Also, with the Falcons having to play a lot of nickel and dime packages, Faulk -- and Jackson to a lesser extent -- should provide some big chunks on quick-hitting running plays. The Falcons' offense is also more dangerous on turf simply because of Vick's speed and athleticism, but with Vick still adjusting to the new West Coast scheme and with major question marks up front because of injuries to Moore and Shaffer, the Falcons simply won't have enough offensive ammunition to keep up with the Rams in this one.