Pharoh Cooper established himself this season as a Pro Bowl returner and a dynamic playmaker capable of making a flashy return when there sometimes appeared to be nowhere to run.
But in the first quarter of an NFC wild-card playoff game Saturday, two special-teams errors involving Cooper turned out to be costly in the Rams’ 26-13 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at the Coliseum.
Cooper and Blake Countess appeared to miscommunicate on a punt return, then Cooper fumbled a kickoff return.
The Falcons recovered both.
“You’ve always got to protect the ball,” Cooper said after the game. “I didn’t do a good job of protecting the ball tonight.”
Coach Sean McVay said the mistakes would not define Cooper’s season.
“Certainly I think he wishes he could have a couple of those plays back,” McVay said. “But I don’t think it takes away from what a great job our overall unit has done throughout the year.”
Special teams was a reliable, if not outstanding, unit for the Rams all season.
Cooper played a major role.
The second-year pro took over as the punt returner, in addition to already returning kickoffs, in Week 6 after Tavon Austin struggled.
Cooper excelled, averaging 12.5 yards per punt return and 27.4 yards per kickoff return. He returned a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown in a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
And Cooper was among a league-high six Rams players voted to the Associated Press All-Pro team and was voted to his first Pro Bowl.
But on Saturday, at least early, Cooper displayed only a fraction of his ability.
In the first quarter, Cooper appeared he would return a punt, then seemed to signal for a fair catch, before eventually letting the ball hit the turf as Countess charged forward.
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Atlanta Falcons strong safety Keanu Neal (22) and Atlanta Falcons free safety Ricardo Allen (37) reacy after Jones broke up a touchdown pass intended for Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Sammy Watkins (12) late in the 4th quarter.
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Rams running back Todd Gurley can’t come down with a short pass near the endzone as time runs short in the second quarter.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 3/24
Atlanta Falcons strong safety Keanu Neal (22) and Atlanta Falcons middle linebacker Deion Jones (45) celebrate stopping Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) for no gain late in the third quarter.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 4/24
Atlanta Falcons fans celebrate the teams 26-13 win over the Rams in the first round of the NFL playoffs.
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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) and Los Angeles Rams cornerback Kevin Peterson (47) leave the field after losing to the Atlanta Falcons 26-13 in the first round of the NFL playoffs.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 6/24
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Pharoh Cooper (10) fumbles the ball on a hit by Atlanta Falcons free safety Damontae Kazee (27) on a punt return in the first half.
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Rams quarterback Jared Goff and coach Sean McVay look on as officials discuss a goal line play with a few seconds remaining in the first half.
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Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan delivers a pass on the run during a third quarter drive against the Rams.
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Falcons teammates celebrate as kicker Matt Bryant hits a 54-yard field goal in the third quarter against the Rams.
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Falcons running back Tevin Coleman breaks through the line for a short gain during a third quarter scoring drive.
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Falcons cornerback Robert Alford knocks the ball away before Rams receiver Sammy Watkins can make a catch.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 12/24
Rams running back Todd Gurley walks off the field after losing to the Falcons.
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Rams head coach Sean McVay watches receiver Robert Woods drop a low pass against the Falcons in the 4th quarter.
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Falcons receiver Julio Jones catches a touchdown pass in front of Rams safety John Johnson in the 4th quarter.
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Rams receiver Robert Woods makes a catch in front of Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant to set up a field goal late in the 2nd quarter.
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Falcons running back Devonta Freeman scores a touchdown against the Rams defense in the 2nd quarter.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 17/24
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Pharoh Cooper (10) fumbles the ball on a hit by Atlanta Falcons free safety Damontae Kazee (27) on a punt return in the first half.
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A mouthpiece goes flying between the Rams and Falcons in the 2nd quarter.
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Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley breaks free from a tackle attempt by Atlanta Falcons strong safety Keanu Neal for a run to set up a second quarter touchdown.
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Los Angeles Rams nose tackle Michael Brockers reacts after sacking Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in the first half.
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Rams receiver Robert Woods hauls in a long pass over Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant for a 38-yard catch from quarterback Jared Goff.
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Rams receiver Cooper Kupp hauls in a second quarter touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Goff over Falcons cornerback Brian Poole.
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Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff stops to look at a poster of coach Sean McVay hours before the NFC playoff game against the Falcons at the Coliseum.
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Rams quarterback Jared Goff throws a pass in the 2nd quarter against the Falcons.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) The ball, instead of hitting the ground, bounced squarely off Countess’ foot and then off Cooper, too.
Chaos ensued as the Rams tried to recover, but the Falcons fell on the ball at the Rams’ 17-yard line. The defense made a stand, but the Falcons kicked a field goal to take a 3-0 lead.
“Muffed punt, hit off one of our players, that’s on me,” Cooper said. “I should have made the poison call.”
Later in the quarter, Cooper fielded a kickoff at the Rams’ seven-yard line and surveyed the field before taking off on a 21-yard return that ended with a fumble.
The Falcons recovered at the Rams’ 32-yard line and scored a touchdown at the start of the second quarter to take a 13-0 lead.
“I’m going to think about it all offseason,” Cooper said.
Quarterback Jared Goff credited special teams for their contributions in the Rams’ division-clinching season, but acknowledged that Saturday’s performance fell short.
Goff called the first muffed punt a “freak one” and said he knew that Cooper “would like to have back” the second.
But Goff did not place blame.
“They’ve won so many games for us, in particular Pharoh,” Goff said. “They have contributed to and put us in good field position.”
Against the Falcons, Cooper returned four punts for an average of 1.8 yards. He averaged 20 yards in six kickoff returns.
For his part, Countess had already endured a trying week.
The defensive back was placed into concussion protocol following the regular-season finale and also was fined $48,620 by the NFL for a hit on San Francisco 49ers receiver Marquise Goodwin. The hit left both players with concussions.
lindsey.thiry@latimes.com
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