When it rains it pours.
It rained for the last home game at the Coliseum, and it poured down boos in the team's latest debacle, as the Rams were embarrassed, 42-14, by the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
The boo birds came out early as Mike Thomas muffed the opening kickoff in his own end zone and the Falcons recovered the ball on the three-yard line.
Matt Ryan wasted no time putting the Falcons on the board as he threw a touchdown to Justin Hardy on his first pass of the game to give Atlanta an early 7-0 lead.
"First play of the game, Justin Hardy makes a great catch and catches a touchdown pass in one-on-one coverage," Ryan said of the first score. "I'm proud of the way our guys competed."
On the ensuing Rams drive, Jared Goff drove L.A. down to the Falcons 16-yard-line, but his third-and-three pass bounced off the hands of receiver Kenny Britt and into the hands of safety Ricardo Allen for the drive-killing interception.
Ryan opened up the second half with a 64-yard deep touchdown strike to Taylor Gabriel. The 25-year-old speedster beat the Rams secondary and walked into the end zone as nobody was in the same area code as Gabriel on the play.
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"We've been working on that play all week," Gabriel said. "Coming out of the half, we were thinking we were going to get the coverage and we did. Matt [Ryan] threw a great ball and all I had to do was catch it."
Ryan threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns as he sat the entirety of the fourth quarter, replaced by Matt Schaub with the outcome no longer in doubt.
"We made some plays, but really, we benifted from some turnovers and great field position," Ryan said after the game. "We were opportunistic and when we got our chances we capitalized."
Atlanta running back Tevin Coleman caught a touchdown and rushed for another as the Falcons scored 42 unanswered points to start the game, the largest lead an NFL team has had on the road since the Detroit Lions led 45-3 over the Broncos in Denver in 2011.
The Falcons were without All-Pro receiver Julio Jones who was inactive for the game due to a turf toe injury. Backup receiver, Mohamed Sanu, was also out, leaving the Falcons with their third and fourth string wideouts.
"Our guys did a great job. We have a lot of belief and confidence in everyone," added Ryan. "They played the wayl they're capable of playing."
The Rams have five turnovers in the game, including two interceptions and a fumble for Goff, two of which were returned for touchdowns, one being the first pick-six of the rookie's career.
"That was a bad ball," Goff said of the throw. "The defender made a really good play on it and took it back."
Falcons' linebacker Deion Jones jumped a Goff pass in the second quarter and returned the interception 33 yards for the score. Later, in the third quarter, Vic Beasley got the always impressive, strip-sack fumble, recovery, and touchdown as Atlanta converted touchdowns on four of the Rams' five giveaways on the day.
"We made mistakes that we shouldn't have made," said Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson. "I really feel like we beat ourselves today."
The Rams definitely miss backup running back Benny Cunningham who missed the game with a neck injury. Cunningham would have been on special teams on the fumble on the opening kick and the running back during Malcolm Brown's second half fumble that led to the Falcons fifth touchdown.
"Benny [Cunningham] might be second or third in the league in kickoff returns," said Jeff Fisher on Cunningham's absence. "We miss Benny...but everybody's going through that."
Despite the lopsided score, Goff still threw for 235 yards and rushed for a touchdown. Todd Gurley rushed for 61 yards and scored L.A.'s first touchdown of the game on the opening play of the fourth quarter.
"Obviously, we got our *** kicked, but I feel like I've grown a lot. Even in these tough games I can use every experience as something to build with," said Goff. "Hopefully, sometime in the future, and sooner, rather than later, we can look back at days like today and know that they made us better."
Goff is now 0-4 as a starter as him team falls to 4-9 overall on the season. There will be no rest for the weary as the Rams are scheduled to take the field again in four days as they travel to Seattle to take on the NFC West Division-leading Seahawks on NBC's Thursday Night Football.
"I feel responsible for this," said Fisher after the game. "I have great respect for each and every player in that locker room, and I've developed relationships with them. My job is to maximize their strengths, identify their weaknesses and help them to be as good of players as they possibly can. That's my job. I have to take it. The head coach takes it."
Players of the Game:
Matt Ryan: 237 yards, 3 TDs.
Falcons Defense: Five takeaways.
Tevin Coleman: Rushing and receiving touchdowns.
Three Takeaways:
1. I'ts Your Duty Judy: Hall of Fame manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tommy Lasorda, lit the Olympic torch at the LA Coliseum before kickoff. Lasorda donned a Rams hat as he brought the crowd to their feet.
2. Rock Bottom: The Rams become the first team since the Denver Broncos in 2011 to be down by 42 points at home.
The Rams are the first team to be down by 42 points at home since the Broncos in 2011. pic.twitter.com/BJucSz9pza — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 11, 2016
3. Are they saying "Boo" or "Boo-urns?" Los Angeles Rams head coach Jeff Fisher was booed throughout the entirety of the game by the Coliseum crowd. The team has not won since the home opener of the Seahawks on Sept. 18 and with Sunday's loss, Fisher is now tied with Dan Reeves for the most losses by a head coach in NFL history.
Jeff Fisher's 165 career losses as HC is now tied for most in NFL History. — NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) December 12, 2016
Up Next:
Falcons (8-5): The second highest scoring offense in the NFL gets another minnow from the NFC West when they host the 1-11 San Francisco 49ers in Atlanta next Sunday.
Rams (4-9): Los Angeles travels to Seattle to face the NFC West-leading Seahwaks on Thursday at 5:25PM PST.
