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 report on further factors.
The Falcons needed to undergo struggles with two kickers earlier than they received to him. Add these three wins, they usually may be 10-6 and accountable for the division as an alternative of simply enjoying spoiler late within the season.
3. Bijan Robinson provides to an All-Professional conundrum
Robinson’s monster recreation towards 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 crew.
There is just one working 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 might carry quite a lot of weight with voters.
In idea, voters can put the identical again on their poll at working again and all-purpose, but when the votes fall proper, it is an opportunity to get 4 of the league’s finest backs an All-Professional nod between the primary and second groups.
4. Xavier Watts is the unsung a part of the Falcons’ massive commerce
A lot has been product of the Falcons sending the Rams a 2026 first-round choose 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 would give the Rams a excessive first-round choose, which might 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 received within the commerce. Additionally they received the Rams’ 2025 third-round choose, which they used on Watts, a security out of Notre Dame. He got here up big in Monday’s recreation, choosing off Stafford twice, which provides him 5 for the season, probably the most of any rookie.
Atlanta gave up rather a lot to get Pearce, however they’ve three of this 12 months’s high defensive rookies, not solely in Pearce and Watts but additionally 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 recreation on Monday night time for the primary time this season. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Photos)
5. Large shift in MVP chase?
Matthew Stafford was the odds-on favourite to win NFL MVP honors getting into the weekend, however might issues swing towards Patriots quarterback Drake Maye?
Maye had a near-perfect recreation towards 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 recreation. Within the least, the MVP battle has narrowed getting 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 might decide to maintain his gamers wholesome.
The Falcons, in the meantime, will resolve the NFC South of their matchup towards the Saints (1 p.m. ET on FOX) despite the fact that each groups have been eradicated from playoff competition.
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