Falcons linebacker Deion Jones will be the X-factor against the Rams in the wild-card playoff game Saturday at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Jones, who played against New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara and Carolina’s Christian McCaffery in three of the past four games, has a different challenge in Rams running back Todd Gurley.
He’s just as fast as Kamara and McCaffrey.
“He can do all of the same things that they could, but he’s just bigger guy,” said Jones of the 227-pound Gurley. “We just have to make sure we get him on the ground.”
Jones, who finished with 10 tackles, was able to slow McCaffrey. He was held to 14 yards on six carries. He caught five passes for 40 yards.
With McCaffrey slowed and Cam Newton misfiring, the Falcons gave up a field goal, forced three punts and intercepted three passes in the second half against the Panthers.
The Falcons likely will need a similarly dominating stretch against Gurley and the Rams, who led the NFL in scoring, at 29.1 points per game.
“That’s the standard that we put ourselves up to, and now we just have to live up to it every week,” said Jones, who led the Falcons in tackles, with 138.
The Falcons’ run defense evolved over the course of the season. They allowed one running back, Miami’s Jay Ajayi (who later was traded to Philadelphia), to rush for more than 100 yards.
The Falcons gave up 104.1 yards rushing per game, which ranked eighth in the league.
“It’s just a product of how we honed in on our details every day,” Jones said of the improved run defense. “We put in a lot of film study and a lot of work. Now, it has paid off.”
Jones said he’s had to put in a lot of film study on Gurley, because the Rams’ attack is so diversified.
“They have it all,” Jones said. “They have a good bit of stuff. We know what’s going on. We just have to communicate, get guys lined up and play our style of ball early.”
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