A 55-yard kick return and an unnecessary roughness penalty from O.J. Atogwe helped the Atlanta Falcons knot their game with the St. Louis Rams at 10. Each team has now committed three penalties, and all of them have had significant impacts on the scoring.
Matt Ryan is now 7-for-10 with 82 yards passing and a touchdown, a 12-yard connection with wide receiver Brian Finneran. Michael Turner has been quiet—he’s got six rushes for 17 yards. Roddy White has been Ryan’s main target so far, with three receptions for 40 yards.
Sam Bradford is 10-for-15 with 107 yards passing and a touchdown himself; he’s relied primarily on rookie tight end Michael Hoomanawanui and third receiver Laurent Robinson, each of whom has been mostly underutilized to date.
With 10 minutes remaining in the first half of a sloppy show that’s seen 59 penalty yards and 49 rushing yards the Falcons have the ball near midfield in a game that remains tied at 10.