Pictures to prove it: Rams can't fly with the Falcons

After a 34-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the St. Louis Rams are now 1-2 against bird themed teams and still in second place in the NFC West. 

It's not going to get any easier. Next Sunday, the Rams start a three week road trip going to Denver and Arizona before heading to New Orleans for a game against the defending champs. And you'll recall that the road hasn't exactly been kind to the Rams. 

Still, for all the fault with this game, Spagnuolo's Rams played pretty well, up to a point. Things didn't really go to hell until a rare Sam Bradford INT on that late drive. It happens to even the best QBs. You could also argue that it went downhill fast when the top defensive backs started leaving the field with cramps. Either way, the Rams hung in there with a far more talented team for awhile. 

Back in August or even before that, most of us were saying that we expected a much more competitive team. We knew that the 2010 version of the Rams wasn't quite a Super Bowl contender. Few expected Sam Bradford to play as well as he has, and the Rams have been competitive in all but one game this season. And will probably finish with a record of about what most would have expected. That's no small accomplishment for a team that has already topped their win total of the last two years. 

Still, there's no substitute for winning. 

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