Rams QB Matthew Stafford Cites Strengths of 'Well Coached' Falcons Defense
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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has seen a lot of defenses.
A 14-year veteran, Stafford has experienced just about all of the looks an NFL defense could possibly throw at him.
Coming off a Week 1 showing against the Buffalo Bills in which the Rams' offense mustered just 10 points, Stafford will be looking for a bounce back effort against the Atlanta Falcons, who ranked last in the league in sacks, 29th in points allowed and 26th in yards allowed a season ago.
However, the task looks significantly more difficult now than it did a week ago. While the Falcons allowed 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter in a 27-26 season-opening loss to the New Orleans Saints, the defense finished with four sacks and held Saints quarterback Jameis Winston to under 60 passing yards through three quarters.
Regardless of the end result, there were clear signs of progress. Entering the Week 2 contest, Stafford dished praise to Atlanta's defense, both players and the coaching staff.
“They do a really nice job of keeping everything in front of them," Stafford said. "They played really well last week, honestly, and got two really good, high-quality corners. Some young guys in the post and the safety position are playing at a high level, obviously a disruptive defensive line. They do a really nice job. Their coordinator has been a coordinator for a while and is a really smart guy. They're well coached and do a nice job.”
The corners Stafford referenced are A.J. Terrell, a second-team All-Pro last year, and Casey Hayward, an 11-year veteran with two All-Pro's under his belt, while the "young guys in the post" would be second-year Richie Grant, the team's leading tackler last week, and third-year Jaylinn Hawkins.
As for the "coordinator," if there's one thing that Dean Pees has proven time and again in his 14 years calling plays, it's that he's more than willing to dial up pressure. Stafford knows it's coming, and he believes the Rams are more than prepared to handle it.
“Obviously you see what they did last week, you look at what they've done in years past, you’ve got to go out there and play your roles," said Stafford. "Whatever they're going to do, they're going to do. We're going to be ready for all of it, react, and go play football as best we can. I definitely can see them mixing it up like they always do.”
The Falcons' defense will be looking to do some things the same as last week, and some different. On the side of continuity, Atlanta will look to repeat its dominance from the first three quarters of last week and once again put pressure on the quarterback. The biggest difference? The end result, starting with the ability to finish and put the game out of reach.
Atlanta's defense will get its next opportunity to prove it has turned the page from last year - and last week - at 4:05 p.m. in SoFi Stadium against the defending Super Bowl Champions.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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