INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Jalen Ramsey was calm and collected Sunday afternoon, even in the maelstrom of the fourth quarter in which the Atlanta Falcons put together a late rally against his Los Angeles Rams.
While most of the 71,802 at SoFi Stadium were dreading the worst, the All-Pro cornerback knew he was going to be a deciding factor in the final minutes.
With the Falcons driving for a potential go-ahead touchdown, Ramsey picked off Marcus Mariota’s pass intended for Bryan Edwards in the end zone, allowing the Rams to hold on for a 31-27 victory.
“I told my teammates it was going come back to me, and it did,” Ramsey said. “I just continued to focus and do my job. That was going through my mind because in the past we pressed to make those plays. And when you do that, it doesn’t end up well for you.”
The reigning Super Bowl champions never trailed, but they nearly blew a 28-3 third-quarter lead that would have given the young Falcons an unlikely comeback of their own from that infamous score — Atlanta’s lead at Super Bowl LI before the New England Patriots rallied to force overtime and win the 2016 NFL season’s title — to celebrate.
Mariota had second-half touchdown passes to Drake London and Olamide Zaccheaus to bring the Falcons within 31-17. Special teams and defense then came through to give the veteran quarterback in his first year with Atlanta a final chance.
Troy Anderson blocked a punt that Lorenzo Carter returned 26 yards for a touchdown, and a 2-point conversion pass from Mariota to London made it 31-25 with 5:06 remaining. It was their first blocked punt for a touchdown in a regular-season game since 1990.
Los Angeles (1-1) turned it over on its ensuing possession when Darren Hall forced Kupp to fumble and recovered the ball at the Rams’ 37. Mariota got the Falcons to the 24 before throwing the fateful interception.
“That’s on me. I’ve got to do a better job of communicating that across the board,” said Mariota, who was 17-of-26 for 196 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. “I think, kind of throughout the game, I could have done a better job operationally and just communicating with the guys so that everybody’s on the same page.”
Los Angeles took a safety when returner Brandon Powell ran out of the end zone on punt formation after a three-and-out series. After the free kick, Atlanta took over at the Falcons’ 40, but Mariota was sacked before he could get a Hail Mary off on the final play, ensuring Atlanta’s fourth straight 0-2 start.
“There’s a lot of different, very uncharacteristic things, but they happened. And we still found a way,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “We’re not going to run away from some of the things that we didn’t do well today. But we’re also going to allow ourselves to appreciate being able to come away with a win.”
Matthew Stafford threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns, and Cooper Kupp had two touchdown catches for the Rams, who bounced back from a disappointing defeat against the Buffalo Bills in the NFL opener 10 days earlier.
Stafford completed his first 12 passes en route to going 27-of-36. Kupp had 11 catches for 108 yards and touchdowns on consecutive drives in the second and third quarters.
Kupp made an over-the-shoulder catch on a fade pattern on second-and-3 at Atlanta’s 3 late in the first half to give the Rams a 21-3 lead. The Super Bowl MVP’s first score came three plays after Rams rookie cornerback Cobie Durant picked off a pass bobbled by running back Cordarrelle Patterson and returned it 51 yards up the right sideline to the Atlanta 9.
The Rams then took the second-half kickoff and extended their lead by another touchdown when Kupp caught a quick pass and juked safety Jaylinn Hawkins for a 10-yard score.
The Falcons were able to move the ball in the first half, but they were done in by mistakes. The Rams scored their 21 points after a missed field-goal attempt by Younghoe Koo, a turnover on downs near midfield and Mariota’s first interception.
“Obviously it wasn’t perfect and we need to break through, but one thing about our guys, no matter what has happened, we have a chance until the last play to win it,” said Falcons coach Arthur Smith, whose team visits the Seattle Seahawks (1-1) next Sunday. “Obviously we didn’t make enough plays, but the game playing gave us enough and the guys kept grinding out.”
Atlanta rookie London, the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft after starring at the University of Southern California, had eight catches for 86 yards, including his first touchdown during the third quarter — a 4-yard catch to bring this visitors within 28-10.
“It was a quick stick route. I have faith in Mariota to put it in there and keep me safe and score a touchdown. That’s pretty much it,” he said. “Getting my first touchdown in front of my friends and family, in front of my home crowd was fun.
“But at the end of the day, we lost. We are trying to win in this league. That’s all that matters, right?”
Los Angeles receiver Allen Robinson had four catches for 53 yards after being held to one reception in the opener. Robinson hauled in a 1-yard pass from Stafford on the Rams’ first drive Sunday.
Tyler Higbee also had a big game with seven catches for 71 yards. Kupp didn’t have his first reception until the second quarter.
“Those guys were some primaries early on in the game and they did a great job,” Stafford said, “and then Cooper got his opportunities and made great plays, as he always does.”