The Atlanta Falcons' first step toward reaching a second straight Super Bowl begins with a tough challenge against the Los Angeles Rams in the wild card round.

A huge component of the task at hand is attempting to slow down the Rams' explosive offense, led by Pro Bowl running back Todd Gurley. Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett further emphasized how much more impactful Gurley became this season, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“He’s playing with a whole new motor about himself than he did the year before,” Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said. “Guys up front are playing pretty hard.”

Gurley put together an MVP-caliber campaign, finishing second in the league with a career-high 1,305 rushing yards and a league-leading 13 rushing touchdowns. He also ended the year with a career-best 64 catches for 788 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns in 15 games played.

Gurley's 2,093 total scrimmage yards led the NFL, highlighted by a highly productive month of December where he recorded 749 total yards for eight touchdowns in four games played, helping him earn the NFC Offensive Player of the Month award.

The Falcons do possess one of the league's most stingy defenses against the run while allowing just one running back to record 100 rushing yards. They also limited opponents to just 84.3 rushing yards over the last six games of the regular season. This should make for an entertaining wild card matchup on Saturday night in Los Angeles.