Filed under: Atlanta Falcons, Rams, NFC South, NFC West
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The St. Louis Rams lead the NFL with 28 sacks. They are going to come after the Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, but they won't do it with old stuff; blitzes they nailed other quarterbacks with this season. They have something new cooked up for Ryan.Call it The Blitz of the Day.
It will be a new splash, something not yet on film, and Todd McClure, the Falcons' veteran center, said the Rams won't wait to use it. It will come early in Sunday's game, perhaps on the first third-down play for the Falcons (7-2). The Rams will try and set a tone.
"I think once we see it, we'll be ready for it again," McClure said. "You have to see it one time. At most, teams have time to come up with three new blitzes, but there will be one in particular to watch for."
The Rams (4-5) feature defensive end James Hall who has 7.5 sacks and defensive end Chris Long, who has 5.5 sacks. Linebacker James Laurinaitis has three sacks.
"They get effort sacks, they don't stop, they have high motors," McClure said. "I think it speaks for their talent and the kind of coaching they are getting there with that staff. It's really an impressive defense."
The sacks show up with the Rams' productivity on third down. They can get off the field as well as any NFL team. St. Louis is tied for second in the NFL on third down defense allowing opponents to convert just 32 percent on third down.
That's where Sunday's matchup is intriguing. The Falcons' offense is tied for the league lead in third down conversion percentage (48 percent).
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