Falcons Struggling to Score in First Half vs. Rams

Marcus Mariota and the Falcons have had opportunities to score. But the defending Super Bowl champion Rams and Matthew Stafford hold a 21-3 lead at halftime.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 18, 2022

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The Atlanta Falcons are heading into the locker room with frowns on their faces as the team trails 21-3 to the Los Angeles Rams at halftime.

The Falcons started the game off on a long, clock-eating drive that spanned over eight minutes, but kicker Younghoe Koo failed to connect on a 44-yard field goal.

The Falcons defense didn't have any luck in turning things around, surrendering a 1-yard touchdown from quarterback Matthew Stafford to wide receiver Allen Robinson, his first score as a member of the Rams.

Atlanta responded by driving down to midfield and rolled the dice on a 4th-and-2 play at the 50-yard line. Unfortunately, Cordarrelle Patterson couldn't reach the line to gain and the Falcons turned the ball over on downs.

That set the Rams up in great field position to march down the field and add another touchdown on the board ... this time it was a Darrell Henderson 8-yard run for the score to make it 14-3.

It appeared that the Rams were going to score once more on their final offensive possession of the half, but Stafford threw an interception in the end zone to cornerback Casey Hayward. It was Hayward's first pick as a member of the Falcons, and it also marked Stafford's first incompletion of the day after completing his first 12 passes.

The Falcons tried to hurry and score once more with less than a minute to go, but couldn't capitalize on the opportunity. Marcus Mariota threw an interception off a ricochet from Patterson's helmet, allowing the Rams to score again on a 3-yard pass from Stafford to Cooper Kupp.

Atlanta came into the game as a heavy underdog, but the Falcons have had their chances. They just need to make their drives count a little more in the second half to get back in the game.

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Published Sep 18, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.