Falcons vs. Rams NFC Wild Card Weekend preview

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Falcons vs. Rams: NFC Wild Card Weekend preview Published: Jan 04, 2018 at 02:26 AM Around The NFL Podcast Co-Host The Backstory What a difference a Tomas Hertl Jersey year makes. Last year's were a roaming eyesore, flatlining weekly with an offense le s creative than what most SoCal-area high schools dream up. Enter first-year coach Sean McVay, the 31-year-old offensive wizard who instantly morphed this once-stale entry into the game's most prolific, dynamic, points-generating whirlwind. NFL Network's Michael Silver unleashed a fascinating profile of McVay, in which veteran left tackle dished on the charm of this beyond-his-years offensive architect, saying: "Anybody that spends five minutes with Sean McVay comes away from it and goes, It's kind of the same as when you're around a truly great player, a future Hall of Famer. You hear people talk about Jonathan Ogden or Anthony Muoz or Deion Sanders, and they say, 'You knew from the beginning this guy was gonna be special. You could just tell he's different.' That's how it is with Sean." The tangible, raw power of this attack amounts to a savage matchup for a team still in search of itself. While surging second-year arm owns the NFL's top pa ser rating since Week 9, Atlanta's has gone five consecutive games without a 100-plus rating inside an offense that has failed to top 25 points in five consecutive outings. The offer incredible postseason experience, though, with 36 players on the roster having played a whopping 174 games in January. They're driven -- almost desperately -- to erase the sting of last year's meltdown. On paper, that experience matters against a team with the least postseason player starts league-wide. In real time, I'm not sure it means a thing. This team doesn't just win; they scorch opponents and scatter defenses into a thousand shards. Shredding the enemy with MVP candidate on the ground and a rash of weapons through the air, Los Angeles enters Saturday with the energy and might to author the weekend's biggest blowout. Can Atlanta flip the script? Under Pre sure , QB, Falcons: Only two players in NFL history boast a higher pa ser rating in the playoffs than Ryan, but this isn't the same player who vaulted into last January as the game's hottest signal-caller. Ryan hasn't posted a multiple-touchdown start since Week 10 and finds himself in an offense that too often lacks the juicy, magical flow of last year's Kyle Shanahan-led attack. remains a supremely talented wideout -- averaging a league-high 3.08 yards per route run this season, per Pro Football Focus -- but hasn't found the end zone since Week 12, while last year's explosive deep threat, , hasn't topped 60 yards since Week 3. The best-case scenario for Atlanta? Read below: run defense: I don't like Atlanta hanging with the in a shootout. Teams simply haven't been able to go punch for punch with Los Angeles. The must accept what they are and use their talented backfield to sustain drives, chew up the clock and keep the ball away from McVay's offense. A huge collective effort from and is needed against a Los Angeles ground defense sitting 28th in the league. The have allowed yardage outputs of 229, 189, 169 and 171 (twice) this season, but also shut down the and over the past three weeks. If Freeman can play the way he did in Atlanta's Week 15 win over the Bucs -- with 200-plus yards off 27 touches -- the can impact Saturday's game script. , K, Rams: for the NFC's gaggle of playoff teams: Matchup to David Schlemko Jersey Watch Atlanta's Dan Quinn and Marquand Manuel vs. Sean McVay: I don't mean to gush endle sly over McVay, but he's cooked up a scheme Brent Burns Jersey that has proven almost impo sible to defend. It's up to Quinn and his defensive coordinator, Manuel, to put their young defense in position to contain Goff and Gurley. "No disrespect to my other coaches, but I learned more about football in my first three months with Sean (as coordinator) than I did my whole career before that," ex- tight end Chris Cooley told Silver. A year ago, it was Quinn who the media, fellow coaches and league executives fawned over as the rode gloriously through the regular season into January. Quinn is no le ser of a coach today, but he's learned firsthand how quickly that outside praise can dim. Forget all that's happened since that awful collapse: Quinn can make everything right with an upset on the road. Prediction The are about to host their first playoff game in Los Angeles since January 4, 1986 -- 20 days before McVay arrived on the earth. The team shows no signs of a letdown. You have to find a way to beat up Goff and surround him with punishing pre sure. On that front, seven playoff teams have more sacks than the . We've gotten this far without harping on a familiar narrative: Atlanta's offensive play-calling under Steve Sarkisian. For brief moments in time you can see the brilliant potential of last year's explosive Shanahan creation -- but it flitters away just as quick, leaving us with something le s alluring to stare it. Last year's could have made this a shootout for the ages. This year's arrival isn't up to the test. 33, 17 This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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