WATCH: Falcons' bad fortune continues as Los Angeles Rams add Jalen Ramsey days before Week 7 matchup
When the defending conference champions visit your home, there's an expectation that it's going to be a tough game. That was certainly what Falcons fans thought when the NFL schedule came out in April and saw the Rams coming to Atlanta on Oct. 20.
But the Rams will arrive in Atlanta this Sunday having experienced an average first six weeks of the year. Los Angeles certainly has the talent to turn things around, but after the Rams' third straight defeat Sunday, it started to feel as though the Falcons were catching the Rams at the right time.
Well, that feeling, if it ever existed, is gone following Los Angeles' massive trade with the Jaguars that brings cornerback Jalen Ramsey to southern California. The Rams paid a high price for the former No. 5 overall pick, sending two first-round selections and a 2021 fourth-round pick to Jacksonville for the fourth-year cornerback.
This blockbuster deal will be dissected for years, particularly if the Jaguars can take advantage and draft quality players with the Rams' selections. But from a Falcons perspective, it's just another example of the franchise failing to catch a break this season.
Every NFL team faces adversity, but the Falcons have gone through some of the worst fortune. That felt particularly true in Arizona, with a few close calls going the other way and losing to the Cardinals on a missed extra point. And don't forget, the Falcons are playing without first-round pick Chris Lindstrom and safety Keanu Neal, who is out for the second straight year.
It felt like Week 7 would be different with the struggling Rams coming to town. Instead, assuming Ramsey plays -- he has supposedly been dealing with a back issue the last couple weeks -- the Falcons now have to deal with perhaps the most talented cornerback in the league shadowing their best weapon, Julio Jones.
