Rams vs. Falcons Notebook: Ramsey Redemption, But Questions Remain
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The Los Angeles Rams were nearly on the wrong end of a historical comeback at SoFi Stadium Sunday, but held off the Atlanta Falcons 31-27 despite a furious rally from the visitors.
The Rams have a lot to celebrate from the win, but still have tons of questions to answer headed into NFC West play in Week 3.
Let's look at a few notes from the win over Atlanta.
A win's a win, but ...
The Falcons deserve tons of credit for getting themselves back into this game in a blink.
But the Rams, the league's reigning Super Bowl champs, were facing a team that is in somewhat of a rebuilding faze after a 7-10 record last season. LA was up 31-10 with under 10 minutes left in the fourth until a quick Falcons touchdown and a blocked punt for a score made it a 31-25 game.
Cooper Kupp's late fumble was another avoidable mishap that nearly gave the Falcons the game. A near colossal second-half collapse at home given the circumstances isn't going to fly for a team that has sky-high expectations for itself this season.
Cobie Durant coming-out party
The rookie Durant made sure he got noticed Sunday. He did that and then some.
His big-time 54-yard interception return at the end of the half was a game-changing play that likely saved the Rams in the long run given Atlanta's near-epic comeback.
The Falcons were in position to at least get a field goal before the half, but Marcus Mariota's pass to Cordarrelle Patterson was bobbled in the air and into the arms of Durant, who nearly had a pick-six on the play.
And on Atlanta's first possession of the second half, Durant dashed to Mariota on a corner blitz and looked impressive while doing so.
Despite his small 5-11, 186-pound size, Durant played big in Sunday's win.
Jalen Ramsey's redemption arc
The Rams were criticized for their season-opening loss to the Buffalo Bills, but Ramsey might have been the one under the most heat.
He was embarrassed by Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs after admitting he didn't feel like giving them any compliments ahead of the matchup. Diggs ended up going off for eight catches, 122 yards, and a 53-yard touchdown that saw him blow right by Ramsey for the score.
Despite LA's early success against the Falcons on Sunday, things didn't look much better for Ramsey. He dropped an easy would-be pick-six at the end of the first half that could've ended all of Atlanta's hopes.
But the final act is all that matters, and Ramsey made his ending count. He came away with the game-sealing interception and let all the emotions past week out as he celebrated with the team on the sidelines.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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