LOS ANGELES — The Rams are used to these kinds of situations. A reunion taking place a few thousand miles from the place where the memories were formed, a quick talk and hug pregame before heading back into the locker rooms to get ready for battle.
On Monday, the Rams (11-4) will see that familiar face in the form of Raheem Morris, the defensive coordinator on their Super Bowl LVI team and the current head coach of the Atlanta Falcons (6-9). Whatever small moments with Morris on the field before the game will surely be filled with the enthusiasm and warmth for which he was known for during his tenure in Los Angeles.
“I’m pretty sure all our kids’ furniture comes from his house because we followed them,” Chris Shula, Morris’ successor as defensive coordinator, said. “He’ll be a great friend for life.”
Oddly, the Rams’ have had a vested interest in Morris’ failure this season, even if they would never root for that outcome. But after a draft day trade to move back 20 spots in exchange for Atlanta’s 2026 first-round pick, every Falcons loss has improved the Rams’ draft status and given them an opportunity to replenish their roster.
“Way down the line for me to even think about that stuff right now (is) though,” head coach Sean McVay said.
But the pick the Falcons traded up for will play a role on Monday. Atlanta selected Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. with the 26th overall pick in April, and Pearce has been everything the Falcons wanted him to be. He currently leads the 2025 draft class with nine sacks and is second with 39 pressures.
Combined with fellow rookie Jalon Walker and his six sacks, and the Falcons have developed one of the NFL’s premiere pass rush in short order. With the Rams already short-handed at offensive line without right guard Kevin Dotson and right tackle Rob Havenstein, they will have to hope that left tackle Alaric Jackson (knee) comes out on the right side of questionable on Monday night.
“There’s a reason that they’re No. 2 in sacks,” Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. “Our guys know that they have their work cut out for them.”
On the offensive side, veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins has a lot of weapons to play with. Receiver Drake London (knee) is questionable for Monday, but Morris said Saturday that the former USC standout will still play against the Rams. Tight end Kyle Pitts is starting to flash the potential that made him a first-round pick in 2021, averaging 98.8 yards per game the last four weeks as Atlanta moves him around the formation.
But the real jewel is running back Bijan Robinson. The third-year back has already surpassed 2,000 total yards this season, averaging 135.1 per game. The Falcons have not won a game in which Robinson has surpassed 100 scrimmage yards this year.
“You could make the argument that he’s the best back, best skill player in the league,” Shula said. “He can make something out of nothing. With the stretch run game, he’s looking to cut back, whether it’s the check-down screens or just him getting the ball in space. We have to be on it every single snap.”
That wasn’t the case for the Rams in last week’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The Rams allowed explosives both on defense and in special teams, plays that gave a Seattle team struggling to move the ball life. The blunders led to the dismissal of special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn and McVay spending more time this week with that unit, now under the guidance of interim Ben Kotwica.
If the Rams want to avoid their first consecutive losses since Weeks 4 and 5 of the 2024 season, they’ll need to play more cohesive football on the defensive side of the ball.
“We don’t lose, we learn,” McVay said. “I’ve just loved the response of this group. I think that there is a lot of belief in those responses. We’re shaping ourselves to be as complete and as full as we possibly can.”
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