When it comes to second-half football, the Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons were on opposite ends of the spectrum in 2020. The Rams allowed the second-fewest points after halftime, surrendering an average of just 7.2 points per game. The Falcons were third-worst, giving up 15.4 points per game in the second half.
Neither team was great offensively in the second half of games last season, but when the Rams had a lead going into halftime, they never lost it. In fact, the Rams have never blown a lead at halftime in four years under McVay.
The same can’t be said about the Falcons under Raheem Morris, who’s now the Rams’ defensive coordinator.
Last season, no team in the NFL blew more halftime leads than the Falcons, who lost five games in which they led by at least one point after the first two quarters. That was tied with the Bengals and Chargers for the most in the league.
The same can be said about third-quarter leads. The Falcons blew four games where they led going into the fourth quarter, also tied for most in the NFL with the Chargers. There’s a reason so many fans and analysts compared the 7-9 Chargers to the 4-12 Falcons last season.
The Falcons lost games in which they led by 19 points at halftime against the Cowboys and 17 over the Buccaneers. Against Dallas, Morris was the defensive coordinator. Against the Bucs, he was the interim coach.
Morris can’t be blamed for all of the Falcons’ blown leads, but is it reason for concern in Los Angeles?
For fans, it was one of the first questions they had after Morris was hired by McVay. ‘Didn’t the Falcons blow a bunch of second-half leads?’ It’s a warranted question, but it’s not a reason to panic.
Sure, play calling plays a big role in holding leads. Get to conservative and the offense is bound to stall. Become too aggressive on defense and the opponent can score quickly if mistakes are made. But in the end, it comes down to the players.
In the second half of games last season, Matt Ryan threw 12 touchdown passes and eight interceptions compared to 14 touchdowns and three picks in the first half. All of his numbers were worse after halftime, which Morris can’t necessarily control.
He didn’t throw any picks in the disasters against Tampa Bay and Dallas, but the Falcons also only scored a total of two second-half touchdowns in those games. Is that Morris’ fault? Hardly, especially considering he was only the defensive coordinator against the Cowboys, which the Falcons only lost because they failed to recover an onside kick.
Morris’ arrival won’t suddenly put McVay’s perfect halftime-lead record in danger. Brandon Staley was excellent at making halftime adjustments on defense and it’s a big reason the Rams never blew a halftime lead. But with McVay remaining in place, he and Morris will ensure those second-half collapses in Atlanta last season won’t carry over to Los Angeles in 2021.
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