Rams hope to quiet Falcons’ high-flying offense, and all the noise from recent controversies

The last time the Rams played at home, quarterback Jared Goff was debuting and rain was falling at the Coliseum.

Goff, the No. 1 pick in the draft, has matured in the three weeks since, but as the Rams prepared for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons there was a sense the sky was falling for an organization that suddenly cannot escape week-to-week controversy and melodrama.

Two things seem certain: Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson will not be on the sideline Sunday, and any pregame handshakes or exchanges between Rams Coach Jeff Fisher and General Manager Les Snead will not escape scrutiny.

Dickerson, openly critical of the team and miffed by a phone call from Fisher that was spurred by Dickerson’s request for extra sideline passes, has said he will not attend games as long as Fisher is the coach.

Fisher and Snead, recipients of two-year contract extensions yet to be publicly acknowledged by the Rams, spent Friday separately disputing a report that described a rift between them and a “toxic” relationship.

“Our focus is on Atlanta right now,” Fisher said after answering several questions about the situation, but it is difficult to fathom how the Rams could not be distracted.

The string of controversies had its genesis in the Rams’ Nov. 20 home game against Miami, a 14-10 defeat that served as the flashpoint for the Dickerson saga.

The Rams got blown out the next week at New Orleans, the Dickerson tempest coming to light the next day and raging until the eve of the Rams’ departure for New England.

Then, on the bus ride to Gillette Stadium last Sunday, Rams players and employees learned via Twitter that Fisher and Snead had received contract extensions. The Rams lost, 26-10, to the Patriots and fell to 4-8 with the NFL’s worst and lowest-scoring offense.

Now, here come the Falcons, the NFL’s highest-scoring team.

Rams executive Kevin Demoff said before the loss to the Patriots that the Rams must show “hope for next year.”

Sunday’s game is the start of a four-game stretch that includes a Thursday night game at Seattle and then home games against the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals.

The Rams must win every game to finish .500 for the first time since 2006 and avoid a 13th consecutive non-winning season.

So the final quarter of the season could serve as a final job-saving push for the embattled Fisher, who in his 22nd season is one defeat from tying Dan Reeves for the most career losses in NFL history.

The Falcons arrive with an offense overseen by Kyle Shanahan, a coordinator regarded as part of the possible next wave of NFL head coaches.

Quarterback Matt Ryan leads a team that is 7-5 and tied for first place with Tampa Bay in the NFC South.

A Rams defense that could not control New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees but did a fairly good job against the Patriots’ Tom Brady must try to contain Ryan, a ninth-year pro who has delivered touchdown passes to 11 receivers.

The Rams’ pass rush could be buoyed by end Robert Quinn’s return from a concussion.

But Ryan, like Brees and Brady, has “seen every disguise known to man,” Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said.

Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson is expected to shadow Falcons star receiver Julio Jones, who has been playing through a toe injury and is listed as questionable. Jones has 72 receptions for an NFL-best 1,253 yards.

“He kind of knows what I’m thinking, and he knows how I see things,” Ryan said of Jones. “I know his body language really well, and I trust him to make plays.”

The Falcons offense might be slowed by the absence of receiver Mohamed Sanu, sidelined because of a groin injury.

But even if the Rams keep the Falcons under their 32.2-points-per-game average, they must find a way to score enough to win. That will be a challenge for a team averaging only 15 points a game.

Goff has passed for four touchdowns, with three interceptions, and appears to be gaining confidence with each start.

In his debut against Miami, he got only one opportunity to throw downfield. There were more attempts against the Saints, and he completed a 66-yard pass against the Patriots.

Goff missed Wednesday’s workout because of a stomach ailment but he practiced Friday and said he would be ready for the Falcons.

As he goes into his fourth start, he said he was fully adjusted to NFL speed.

“After the Miami game, I was done with that,” he said. “It felt good against New Orleans, and really felt good against the Patriots.”

He will surely feel even better if he gets his first NFL win. And quiets, at least for a few hours, the controversies surrounding the franchise.

gary.klein@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATimesklein