FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – With a victory over the Panthers in Week 17, the Falcons became the only NFC team from the 2016 playoff field to return to the postseason in 2017.

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Their reward for securing the No. 6 seed? A first-round trip to Los Angeles for a meeting with the No. 3 seed Rams. Under first-year head coach Sean McVay, the Rams went from being the worst scoring offense in the NFL to being the very best. Los Angeles averages nearly 30 points per game, and running back Todd Gurley is a big reason why.

Let's dive into this week's key matchup and discuss why it's so important for the Falcons to contain the Rams' star running back.

KEY MATCHUP: Falcons' run defense vs. Todd Gurley

The Falcons' run defense has slowly become one of the league's best. Since allowing a season-high 201 rushing yards to the Panthers in Week 9, the Falcons have given up just 93.6 yards per game on the ground over the second half of the season. In their last six games, only one team – Minnesota – has gained more than 100 rushing yards.

It's clear that Atlanta's defense is playing its best football right now, but the Falcons face their biggest test yet in Gurley.

Gurley led the NFC in combined rushing and receiving yards during the regular season, finishing with 2,093 total yards from scrimmage and a league-leading 19 touchdowns, despite missing the Rams' regular-season finale. Gurley gained over 100 total yards in 12 of the 15 games he played this season, and he gained more than 100 yards as both a runner and a receiver in the Rams' Week 16 victory over the Titans, becoming just the third player in NFL history to accomplish such a feat.

Jay Ajayi was the only running back to rush for 100 yards or more against the Falcons this season, but Gurley is a cut above any back they've played in 2017. That's no slight to players like LeSean McCoy, Mark Ingram or Alvin Kamara but rather a way to shed light on just how impressive Gurley has been this season.

"What I can say is that he has the ability to beat you on leverage," Falcons coach Dan Quinn said of Gurley. "In other words, he's got that kind of speed that he can take the angle and go. The second thing is do I want to try to drop my shoulder on you, but he also has the ability to put his foot in the ground and make you miss. So tackling for us for sure is going to be at the very front of our topic all week long, and it's not just in the run game. He's been a factor coming out of the backfield as well."

With a second-year quarterback in Jared Goff, who is making his first playoff appearance, the Rams will likely turn to their bell cow running back to set the tone on Saturday. If the Falcons can't find a way to slow Gurley, it could be a long evening in Los Angeles.

Five more things to know about Falcons-Rams

1. Aaron Donald is a true game-changer

Quinn announced on Tuesday that starting left guard Andy Levitre would be placed on injured reserve, effectively ending his season. That news came prior to the Falcons facing one of the top defensive players in the NFL: Aaron Donald.

Now in his fourth season, Donald has established himself as arguably the best defensive tackle in the league. He has 11 sacks this season – the second time he's accomplished that feat – and his 98.4 grade from Pro Football Focus is the second-highest grade among all NFL players.

"What makes him unique, he has really good get-off and that's part of being a good defensive tackle," Quinn said of Donald. "But the use of his hands is excellent. He's got leverage, he can use his hands to get up field. So all of us from a challenge standpoint, he's a factor in this game for sure."

2. Falcons' third-down offense has been NFL's best