LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Rams presence in these playoffs was a testament to the development of Jared Goff. The game itself became a reminder of how far he still has to go.

The second-year quarterback and the league-leading offense under his command vanished Saturday night, as the Rams managed only a touchdown and two field goals in a 26-13 defeat to the Atlanta Falcons at the Coliseum that ended their season.

Goff didn't look like the quarterback he was over the previous four months, evidence that football in January is nothing like football in the preceding four months.

There was less time to throw. The windows were smaller. The field was a wreck. His greatest weapon was taken away from him.

And as much as the Rams claimed their inexperience wouldn't be a factor here, Goff performed how a 23-year-old is expected to perform on a stage like this.

Goff completed 62 percent of his passes in the regular season, but only 53 percent on this night, as he misfired on 21 of his 45 throws. His completion percentage was under 50 percent for a majority of the game.

Of his 259 yards, 102 came in the Rams' final two possessions, after the Falcons scored a final touchdown that put the game out of reach.

By limiting Todd Gurley's touches, the Falcons increased the burden the Rams put on Goff. There will come a day when Goff can shoulder that responsibility. But Saturday wasn't that day.

The Rams went three and out on their first two possessions, as Goff was sacked twice in the first four minutes of the game.

They played almost eight minutes before finally registering a first down – predictably, on a run by a Gurley. But after three more pass attempts by Goff, the Rams had to punt again.

The Rams, who averaged 29.9 points per game in the regular season, were down 6-0 at the end of the opening quarter. Goff completed only one of five passes for three yards in the period.

"I think it took a little longer than usual to settle in," Goff said, stating the obvious.

Gurley ran the ball only three times in the first quarter. The most-valuable-player candidate didn't catch any passes, a sign of how the Falcons were determined to prevent Goff from linking up with his most dangerous target.

The game would have spiraled out of control if not for the Rams defense, which kept the deficit manageable despite Goff's lack of rhythm and a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes by the special-teams unit.

Midway through the second quarter, the Rams were down only 13-0.

They narrowed the margin to 13-7 with 2 minutes, 40 seconds remaining in the first half, when Goff delivered a perfectly weighted 14-yard pass to Cooper Kupp in the back-left corner of the end zone.

The touchdown was set up by a 15-yard pass, also to Kupp.

Goff displayed his quality again when he connected with Robert Woods on a 38-yard pass later in the quarter. The deep ball positioned the Rams to add three points in the final seconds of the half and move to within 13-10.

The Rams never completed the comeback. In fact, they barely touched the football.

The Falcons possessed the football for more than 13 minutes of the third quarter. Goff and the Rams had the football in their hands for fewer than two minutes.

Gurley had nowhere to run and Goff failed to bail out his team.

"I think you attribute it to what Atlanta did defensively," Goff said. "They had very athletic defensive players."

None of this should take away from what Goff accomplished this season. He proved he was worthy of the investment the Rams made when they traded for the top overall pick of the 2016 draft and selected him.

Goff will be the face of the franchise, if he isn't already. But he has to become something more than that. He has to become a quarterback who can win the kind of game he lost Saturday night.

Delay of game

The end of the first half was painfully reminiscent of the last couple of minutes of an NBA game, courtesy of the NFL's ever-unpopular replay system.

A difficult but clear 38-yard catch by Woods was reviewed, which halted play with 43 seconds left.

Two plays later, the Rams were on the opposing three-yard line when Falcons tackle Grady Jarrett jumped offside. With the clock again stopped, the officials decided to review the previous play, a three-yard pass from to Gurley by Goff. The play was reversed, invalidating the completion, as well as the offside call on Jarrett. The ball was moved back from the seven-yard line and nine seconds were added to the five seconds that originally remained.

Coach Sean McVay was spared a dilemma of whether to settle for a short field goal or take a shot at the end zone from the one with only five seconds left. With 14 seconds on the clock, Goff threw an incomplete pass into the end zone, after which Sam Ficken kicked a 35-yard field goal.

The call benefited the Rams, but not the viewers.