The Atlanta Falcons delivered a wake-up call to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.
The Falcons were up 21-0 at halftime, beating the 11-4 Rams 27-24 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium despite a second-half comeback from Los Angeles. The Rams were held scoreless for just the third time in the first half under head coach Sean McVay, who’s in his ninth season with the team. Offensively, Matthew Stafford threw three interceptions and didn’t help his MVP candidacy.
Here are the takeaways:
1. Monday’s biggest losers? The Buccaneers
Tampa Bay has lost seven of eight games, so all their troubles are their own creation, but if the Falcons had lost to the Rams, the Bucs would have known that they’d win the NFC South if they got a home win Saturday against Carolina.
Now, it’s more complicated. Tampa Bay needs to beat the Panthers but also needs the Falcons to lose to the Saints. If Atlanta wins, then a Bucs win would create an ugly three-team tie at 8-9, and Carolina wins that tiebreaker as they’re 3-1 against the Buccaneers and Falcons.
If it’s just Tampa Bay and Carolina tied at 8-9, the Buccaneers win the tiebreaker with a better record against common opponents.
It’s also a bad look for the NFL to schedule Bucs-Panthers for Saturday afternoon. If the Bucs win, neither team will know who wins the division until the outcome of Falcons-Saints on Sunday. You want divisions decided and celebrated on the field, not determined a day later in another city on the outcome between two teams not in contention for that playoff berth.
2. What if the Falcons just had good kickers all year?
The Falcons are 7-9 after three straight wins, but they could easily be atop the NFC South standings if you just give them a reliable kicker from the start of this season. Zane Gonzalez came through with a game-winning 51-yard field goal in the final minute, but other games haven’t been so fortunate for the Falcons.
- Week 1: Falcons lost to the Bucs by three points when Younghoe Koo missed a 44-yard field goal as time expired.
- Week 9: Falcons lost to the Patriots by one point when John Parker Romo missed an extra point with 4:40 left.
- Week 14: Falcons lost to the Jets by three points as Gonzalez missed a 50-yard field goal in the third quarter.
Gonzalez had a area purpose blocked and returned for a landing by Rams edge rusher Jared Verse on Monday, however he is been pretty good as a 3rd kicker of the season goes. He was a 14-for-17 mark on area targets and a 16-for-17 document on further factors.
The Falcons needed to undergo struggles with two kickers earlier than they bought to him. Add these three wins, they usually may be 10-6 and in charge of the division as a substitute of simply taking part in spoiler late within the season.
3. Bijan Robinson provides to an All-Professional conundrum
Robinson’s monster sport in opposition to the Rams, with a 93-yard landing run and a receiving rating contributing to a 229-total-yard night time. This complicates a troublesome determination coming this weekend for voters deciding the AP All-Professional staff.
There is just one operating again spot on the first-team All-Professional squad, however there’s a spot for an “all-purpose” participant, which may very well be a again who doubles as a pass-catching menace. Voters have to decide on between dominant runners just like the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor, the Payments’ James Prepare dinner and the Ravens’ Derrick Henry, in addition to dual-threat backs like Robinson, the 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey and the Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs.
Robinson, headed to the Professional Bowl for a second straight 12 months, rushed for a career-high 195 yards in Monday’s win. He is already over 2,000 yards from scrimmage, and a high-profile showcase like Monday night time may carry a whole lot of weight with voters.
In concept, voters can put the identical again on their poll at operating again and all-purpose, but when the votes fall proper, it is an opportunity to get 4 of the league’s greatest backs an All-Professional nod between the primary and second groups.
4. Xavier Watts is the unsung a part of the Falcons’ large commerce
A lot has been made from the Falcons sending the Rams a 2026 first-round decide to maneuver up from No. 41 to No. 26 on this 12 months’s draft and take edge rusher James Pearce. The transfer has drawn criticism as a result of it’ll give the Rams a excessive first-round decide, which may allow them to draft an eventual successor to Stafford.
Not solely does Pearce lead all rookies with 8.5 sacks, however he wasn’t all of the Falcons bought within the commerce. Additionally they bought the Rams’ 2025 third-round decide, which they used on Watts, a security out of Notre Dame. He got here up big in Monday’s sport, selecting off Stafford twice, which supplies him 5 for the season, probably the most of any rookie.
Atlanta gave up loads to get Pearce, however they’ve three of this 12 months’s high defensive rookies, not solely in Pearce and Watts but in addition their different first-rounder, Jalon Walker, who’s second amongst all rookies behind his teammate with 5.5 sacks.
Sean McVay noticed his Rams lose their second straight sport on Monday night time for the primary time this season. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Photos)
5. Massive shift in MVP chase?
Matthew Stafford was the odds-on favourite to win NFL MVP honors entering the weekend, however may issues swing towards Patriots quarterback Drake Maye?
Maye had a near-perfect sport in opposition to the Jets, going 19-for-21 with 5 touchdowns and no interceptions. Then on Monday, with the highlight on him, Stafford threw three interceptions after totaling 5 all season earlier than this sport. Within the least, the MVP battle has narrowed coming into the ultimate week of the season.
5 ½. What’s subsequent?
The Rams will host the Cardinals in Week 18. Arizona’s season is over, so a full-strength Los Angeles roster ought to win comfortably. It stays to be seen, although, whether or not Stafford and the remainder of the Rams starters will see the sector. Head coach Sean McVay may choose to maintain his gamers wholesome.
The Falcons, in the meantime, will determine the NFC South of their matchup in opposition to the Saints (1 p.m. ET on FOX) despite the fact that each groups have been eradicated from playoff competition.
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