The Falcons already nabbed the first victory by spoiling a festive night in Los Angeles Darnell Savage Jr. Jersey , and they seem quite confident about their chances to run the table in other people’s buildings on the way to Minneapolis.

Matt Ryan passed for 218 yards and hit Julio Jones for an 8-yard touchdown with 5:48 to play, and the defending NFC champion Falcons advanced from the wild-card round with a 26-13 victory over the upstart Rams on Saturday night.

Devonta Freeman rushed for an early score and Matt Bryant kicked four field goals for the Falcons (11-6), who dropped to the sixth seed in the conference after finishing one game out of first place in the NFC South. Atlanta went only 5-3 on the road in the regular season.

But judging from a comprehensively solid performance against the hungry Rams (11-6), that tough division race and last season’s deep playoff run prepared Atlanta for the grind necessary to win back-to-back NFC titles.

”We don’t care where we play these games, because we know it’s about us, not the crowd or the opponent,” Atlanta safety Ricardo Allen said.

The next place they’re headed is Philadelphia: The Falcons advanced to face the top-seeded Eagles on Jan. 13.

”Doesn’t matter where we’re going, we’re going,” Ryan said. ”And that’s the most exciting part.”

Atlanta’s journey to the Super Bowl last season ended infamously with that blown 28-3 lead against New England. In their first playoff game since, the Falcons spoiled the Rams’ first playoff game in 13 years with a methodical performance derived from hard-earned experience.

The Falcons’ defense held the NFL’s highest-scoring offense to one touchdown while muzzling Todd Gurley and harassing Jared Goff, who went 24 for 45 in his playoff debut.

Jones caught nine passes for 94 yards for Atlanta, which never trailed while winning playoff games in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history. Against an opponent that had just six players on its roster with prior postseason appearances, the Falcons’ experience showed through.

”I think having gone through these situations, understanding what it’s like, the atmosphere, those kinds of things, knowing that it’s going to be tough, all those things kind of carry forward,” Ryan said. ”But at the end of the day Elgton Jenkins Jersey , experience or no experience, you’ve got to execute.”

A raucous crowd of 74,300 packed the Coliseum on a crisp evening for the first NFL playoff game in the nation’s second-largest city since early 1994. Los Angeles went 21 years without pro football before the Rams returned last season, and the franchise emphatically ended a 13-year streak of non-winning seasons this fall with an inspiring run to the Rams’ first division title since 2003.

Robert Woods caught nine passes for 142 yards, but rookie Cooper Kupp scored the Rams’ only touchdown late in the first half. Pro Bowl kick returner Pharoh Cooper also muffed a punt and fumbled a kickoff return early, leading to 10 points for the Falcons.

LA LETDOWN

The Falcons ruined a celebratory night for the Rams, who rebounded from a rough homecoming season in 2016 with an outstanding debut year under 31-year-old Sean McVay, the youngest head coach to reach the playoffs in NFL history. A celebrity-studded crowd attended the game and watched a halftime performance from Long Beach’s own Snoop Dogg, but the Rams couldn’t come through.

”You see why the Falcons are the defending NFC champs,” McVay said. ”Certainly this is a humbling game. … This is an experience that we can learn from. But I don’t think this game was too big for our guys.”

The Rams are just 4-11 at the Coliseum since returning to LA last season.

EATING CLOCK

The Falcons dominated the game by controlling the ball for 37:35, patiently running the ball with Freeman and Tevin Coleman. The Rams’ defense simply couldn’t get off the field in the third quarter, whether due to missed tackles or clever play-calling by the Falcons.

BAD FIELD

The Coliseum turf was noticeably slippery for both teams, and many players changed cleats at halftime to combat the conditions. The field at the venerable stadium isn’t known for being particularly bad, but new sod and January dew apparently made it more perilous than usual.

The Falcons shook it off.

”We had to be prepared for everything,” Falcons receiver Mohamed Sanu said. ”We saw it wasn’t good conditions early, so we had our minds ready for it.”

GETTING GURLEY

Gurley got just 43 of his 101 yards rushing in the first three quarters, and the Falcons eliminated him from the passing game almost entirely, giving up only four receptions for 10 yards despite 10 targets of the NFL’s leader in yards from scrimmage.

”They did a great job,” Gurley said of the Atlanta defense. ”They have great players. They’re not the reigning NFC champs for no reason.”

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(STATS) – FCS-level products Terrell Owens and Everson Walls hope to get a certain phone call on Saturday. Both are finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class Jace Sternberger Jersey , which will be selected on the eve of Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis. As collegians, Owens played wide receiver at Chattanooga and Walls was a cornerback at Grambling State. Owens, 45, is a third-time finalist. He spent 15 sometimes controversy-filled seasons in the NFL with five organizations, starting with the San Francisco 49ers after they selected him in the third round of the 1996 draft. The big-play receiver had nine seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards, finishing with the second-highest total all-time with 15,934 yards on 1,078 receptions. His 153 touchdown catches are the third-most in NFL history. He made six Pro Bowls and was named an All-Pro five times. At Chattanooga, he was a prolific athlete who participated in three sports. He became a starting receiver as a sophomore and caught 115 passes for 1,748 yards and 12 touchdowns over his final three seasons, playing in the run-heavy Southern Conference. He also played for a Mocs basketball team that advanced to the NCAA tournament, and anchored the school’s 4×100 relay team at the NCAA track championships. Walls, 58, was a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro during his 13-year NFL career. He is the only cornerback to lead the league in interceptions three times, beginning with the Dallas Cowboys in 1981 after he signed as an undrafted rookie free agent, and also finishing first in ’82 and ’85. He was part of the New York Giants’ 1991 Super Bowl champion team, making a key tackle on Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas late in the game. He also played with the Cleveland Browns, ending his career with 57 interceptions Dexter Williams Jersey , including 44 with the Cowboys. He walked on to the Grambling State program after only playing as a senior in high school, but he impressed coach Eddie Robinson and wound up earning a scholarship. In 1980, he led the nation with 11 interceptions and was an Division I-AA All-American. The other finalists named in early January were offensive tackle Tony Boselli, wide receiver Isaac Bruce, safety Brian Dawkins, offensive guard Alan Faneca, offensive guard Steve Hutchinson, offensive tackle Joe Jacoby, running back Edgerrin James, cornerback Ty Law, linebacker Ray Lewis, safety John Lynch, center Kevin Mawae, wide receiver Randy Moss and linebacker Brian Urlacher. Two senior finalists – linebacker Robert Brazile, who played at Jackson State prior to the Division I split in 1978, and offensive guard Jerry Kramer – were named in August. General manager Bobby Beathard was announced as a contributor finalist. To be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a candidate must receive at least 80 percent support from the 48-person selection committee.