Follow us:

Biggest early adjustment: Stop turning over the ball

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has thrown five interceptions in the first two weeks, and he was quick to say after the win Sunday against the Falcons that those plays are "frustrating for me, and I know frustrating for our team." Stafford said he's his own worst critic, and he knows he needs to clean up those mistakes. "I'm hard on myself at all times," he said. "I'll definitely look inward and try to figure out a way to make sure those things don't happen." Stafford was tied for the league lead with 17 interceptions last season.

Jalen Ramsey: He's got that dog in him. The superstar cornerback high-pointed a Marcus Mariota heave to the end zone in the final minutes on Sunday, snagging the interception that sealed a too-close-for-comfort 31-27 win over the frisky Falcons at SoFi. Los Angeles opened up a 28-3 lead over Atlanta in the third quarter before some complacent play, coupled with a massive special teams gaffe, opened the door for the potential of a stunning upset. Ramsey slammed that door shut, but the Rams need to be sharper after an uninspiring first two weeks of their title defense.

They impressed early against the Falcons, but they made it interesting with some bad special-teams play. The defense has to be better.

All-Pro CB Jalen Ramsey hasn't played well in recent games, nor have the defending champs early this season. But he turned it around when it counted, stopping the bleeding Sunday with a game-sealing INT against Atlanta. The Rams can only hope that's a microcosm for their 2022 season.

Jourdan Rodrigue has the details on a new wrinkle to the Rams offense that featured wide receiver Ben Skowronek as a fullback.

"The Falcons still had to account for 11 personnel looks even with the Rams showing 21 personnel pre-snap, because he's a receiver and could release into various routes," wrote Rodrigue. "It was completely different than anything the team had done previously under (Sean) McVay, especially in such volume, and it was so totally 1980s-hair-metal neck-roll—gnarly."

The Rams nearly gacked away a 28-3 lead, though, thanks to three turnovers in a four-possession span in the second half before a Jalen Ramsey interception all but sealed the deal. Brandon Powell was given the honors of running into the end zone for a safety, leaving him with one carry for -26 yards. The worst one-carry game in NFL history belongs to Andre Johnson, who took a 34-yard safety on the final play of regulation in a 2003 game.

Should we focus on how good the Rams looked in taking a 28-3 lead on Sunday? Or how they let a bad Falcons team back in the game and needed a Jalen Ramsey interception to avoid a disastrous loss? Either way, the start to the Rams' Super Bowl defense could be going a lot better through two weeks.

They still have plenty of work to do to get back to where they were last year.