Rams vs. Falcons: Takeaways from Atlanta's 31-24 Win over St. Louis

The Atlanta Falcons won their first game of the 2013 season with a win over the St. Louis Rams despite a late comeback. As a team with Super Bowl aspirations, the Falcons were able to avoid the dreaded 0-2 start.

A beat-up Falcons team got out to a 24-3 halftime lead, but the Rams would not go away and cut their lead to just seven points at the outset of the fourth quarter. But the arm of Matt Ryan and hands of Julio Jones were pivotal in helping the Falcons drive down the field for a game-sealing touchdown on the very next series.

There are still some adjustments to be made as the Falcons prep for next week's contest against the Miami Dolphins. But there are also a lot of positives to emerge from their win over the Rams that they can build off of.

Offensive Line Is Still Struggling

After the New Orleans Saints sacked Matt Ryan three times and pressured him consistently, limiting a talented Rams front to just two sacks is improvement. But there were still too many times on Sunday afternoon when the pass rush was able to get to Ryan and stagnate Falcons drives.

Compounding those protection problems was the fact that Atlanta could not generate much of anything on the ground against the Rams. They only managed 36 yards on 16 carries. And they were limited to one yard on six carries in a paltry first-half effort.

The Falcons will need to correct these issues next week as they travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins. There, they will face one of the league's premier pass-rushers in Cameron Wake, who had 2.5 sacks in their season-opening win against the Cleveland Browns. If the Falcons cannot establish the run next week to try to take pressure off of their subpar pass-blocking, they could be in for a long afternoon from Wake and that Dolphins defense.

Julio Jones Has Emerged as Go-to Receiver

Despite nursing a knee injury that limited him in practice all week, Julio Jones emerged with one of the best games of his career, catching a team-leading 11 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. Eighty-one of those yards came on that score, where he absolutely roasted Janoris Jenkins on a big play.

The past two weeks, Roddy White has received limited snaps and been used more as a decoy than a factor in the offense,forcing the Falcons to put more of a burden on Jones to carry their passing attack. Jones has responded with two strong performances.

Jones showed up big on the team's penultimate drive, where they needed to score to seal the win. He caught three passes for 47 yards, including an 18-yard lob from Ryan on a pivotal third down. That play showed Ryan's trust in his young receiver, and even when White is fully healthy, it will likely result in the Falcons' offense continuing to be centered on Jones.

Jason Snelling Is a Playmaker

The Falcons had to rely on Jason Snelling early in the contest after fullback Bradie Ewing went down with a shoulder injury. Snelling stepped in to fill that role as a lead blocker to Steven Jackson.

Then when Jackson went down with a thigh injury, the Falcons turned to Jacquizz Rodgers to carry the running game. Well, Rodgers failed. It wasn't until the team turned to Snelling late in the game that the rushing attack offered much of anything. His 11-yard run was the game-sealing touchdown. And while his workload of two carries for 19 yards doesn't seem like much, it proved to be the difference in the game.

Snelling also contributed in the passing game, catching four passes for 41 yards, including a pair of catches to open that game-sealing drive that he ultimately capped off.

The Pass Rush Is Not Getting Dialed Up

While the Falcons were able to pressure Rams' quarterback Sam Bradford a number of times to give him a tough day, it is disappointing that the Falcons finished the game without a sack despite 55 dropbacks from Bradford.

That is telling considering for the majority of the game the Rams were playing from behind. And even with the ability to pin their ears back, the Falcons could still not get to Bradford on the ground. That allowed the Rams to make it more of a ballgame in the second half. Injuries to

Bradford threw for 352 yards, and the Rams were able to score on each of their final three offensive possessions. Kroy Biermann and Jonathan Babineaux being limited by injuries did not help matters, but the Falcons need to find ways to generate more pressure, especially when they have leads.

Injuries Are Becoming a Problem

The Falcons had six starters listed as questionable going into Sunday, but they only emerged from Sunday looking worse for wear.

Bradie Ewing (shoulder), Steven Jackson (thigh), Cliff Matthews (neck), Asante Samuel (thigh), Sean Weatherspoon (foot), and Kroy Biermann (ankle) all left the game at one point with various injuries. Matthews and Samuel seemingly re-aggravated injuries that limited them in practice this week. But the others sustained new injuries. 

The team is already dealing with injuries to key players like Roddy White (ankle) and Jonathan Babineaux (knee), among others that limited their effectiveness on today. The Falcons cannot afford to have any more key players go down.

Young Defenders Stepping Up

An issue the Falcons face with their multitude of injuries is the stressing of the team's depth. But the silver lining is that it gives more opportunities for many of the team's younger players, particulalry on defense.

Two players that seemed to step up today were defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi and linebacker Joplo Bartu. Massaquoi was one of the few Falcons defenders that was able to get into Bradford's face a couple of times.

Bartu had six tackles, tops among the team's linebackers. After an impressive summer as an undrafted free agent, Bartu is quickly ascending up the Falcons' depth chart. With an injured Weatherspoon out of the game in the second half, it was Bartu rather than veteran Stephen Nicholas that the team turned to in their nickel sub package. He is in a position where he if he continues to play well, he could carve out a regular role on defense this year.

The Falcons Must Finish Stronger

One of the common complaints that have plagued the Falcons under head coach Mike Smith is their inability to finish off their opponents. 

While there were a variety of factors such as their lacking running game, limited pass rush, and injuries that contributed to that poor finish today, the bottom line remains that the Falcons must learn to finish off their opponents.

They just have not consistently been able to put the nail in the coffin when they build early leads. The team had hoped that running back Steven Jackson would help be that hammer when they signed him this year, but his injury forced a quick exit from the game.

Matt Ryan is as clutch as they come, and they have been able to rely off him in late in games. Perhaps, overly so. Even the most clutch quarterbacks slip up every now and then. Getting Jackson healthy and more aggressive play on both sides of the ball could be the difference in future games when Ryan isn't on point.

William Moore Is a Wrecking Ball

William Moore is doing his best to earn the mantle as the league's most fearsome hitter with a pair of bone-rattling hits against the Rams.

The first was definitely the most entertaining, as it would make most WWE superstars proud. He came upfield and made a sound, wrap tackle against Rams' tight end Mike McNeill. McNeill made the mistake of leaving his feet to avoid the tackle, and Moore made him pay as he slammed him back to the turf with a spine-busting hit. 

Check out the video on FOX Sports.

His second hit came later in the game against a scrambling Sam Bradford, that will certainly leave the quarterback having a few nightmares of a No. 25 coming at him. That followed another big hit on Saints' running back Darren Sproles last week.

Fresh off a Pro Bowl season thanks largely to his ball-hawking skills and four interceptions in 2012, Moore is hoping to earn his way back to Hawaii with his run-defending and tackling ability.