Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons’ rally falls short in loss to the L.A. Rams

Marcus Mariota and the Atlanta Falcons nearly erased a huge deficit, but their second-half rally fell short in the loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

The Falcons (0-2) fell behind 28-3 midway through the third quarter before outscoring the Rams 22-3 to close within 31-25. Atlanta had a chance to score a go-ahead touchdown, but Mariota’s pass into the end zone was intercepted with 1:07 remaining and the Falcons lost 31-27 Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium.

Mariota was inconsistent early against the defending Super Bowl champion Rams (1-1). He overthrew a number of receivers during the first half, including a slightly high throw to running back Cordarelle Patterson, when the football deflected off his hands and was intercepted by Rams’ cornerback Cobie Durant. That turnover led to a Rams’ touchdown late in the first half.

Mariota performed much better in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter.

The quarterback completed 8 of 10 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown as the Falcons scored 17 points in the quarter. The Falcons closed to 31-25 after linebacker Troy Anderson blocked a punt by Riley Dixon and Atlanta linebacker Lorenzo Carter scooped up the football and ran 26 yards for a touchdown with 4:57 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Falcons immediately got the football back after another Rams’ turnover. Rams’ wide receiver Cooper Cupp fumbled and the ball was recovered by Atlanta cornerback Darren Hall at the Rams’ 37 with 3:32 remaining.

Mariota and the Falcons had a chance.

Mariota completed passes on consecutive plays and the Falcons moved to the Rams’ 21. Following the 2-minute warning, Mariota was tackled for a 4-yard loss on a read-option play. On a third-and-13 play, Mariota’s intended pass to wide receiver Bryan Edwards in the end zone was picked off by Rams’ cornerback Jalen Ramsey to seal the Rams’ win.

Mariota completed 17 of 26 passes for 196 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the game.

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.