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Rams lose to Falcons, putting their Super Bowl ambitions in a perilous place
ATLANTA — The Rams already knew they will be on the road for the playoffs, a difficult assignment for any team.
It’s trending toward becoming one especially tough for the Rams, who only a few weeks ago appeared to be the class of the NFC, if not the NFL.
Not anymore.
On Monday night, the Rams for much of their game against the Atlanta Falcons, looked like a team on the road to nowhere. Or one more interested in limping through the end of the regular season before turning it on for the playoffs.
They overcame a 21-point deficit to tie the score, but Zane Gonzalez’s 51-yard field goal with 21 seconds left sent the Rams to a 27-24 defeat at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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Gary Klein breaks down what went wrong for the Rams in their 27-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.
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Rams can’t put together last-gasp drive, losing in stunner to Falcons
🏈 Falcons 27, Rams 24 — FINAL
Plagued by turnovers and mistakes, the Rams suffered their second straight loss, compromising their hopes of a favorable seeding in the playoffs.
The Rams are still in contention for the NFC’s No. 5 playoff seed, but they’ll need some help moving up from the No. 6 seed.
Matthew Stafford threw three interceptions as the Rams (11-5) managed to come back from a 21-point halftime deficit before running out of time.
On the Rams’ final possession, Stafford failed to connect with a wide open Xavier Smith, with a pass that was just out of the receiver’s reach.
Stafford later tried to go deep to Tutu Atwell, but the ball went off his hands after he got tangled with cornerback Dee Alford in what appeared to be a missed defensive pass interference call.
Stafford completed 22 of 38 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns.
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Falcons retake lead on field goal with 21 seconds left
🏈 Falcons 27, Rams 24 — 21 seconds left in the fourth quarter
Zane Gonzalez kicked a 51-yard field goal to push the Falcons back into the lead after a nine-play, 32-yard drive.
Kirk Cousins completed an 11-yard pass to Kyle Pitts before Bijan Robinson broke off a 10-yard run to move the Falcons into field-goal range with under a minute left in regulation.
The Rams are out of timeouts.
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Rams tie game on Puka Nacua touchdown catch
🏈 Rams 24, Falcons 24 — 2:46 left in the fourth quarter
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua scored on an 11-yard catch and run, benefiting from big blocks Colby Parkinson and Xavier Smith to help tie the score late in the fourth quarter.
A 22-yard run by Kyren Williams moved the Rams into the red zone.
A holding penalty on D.J. Humphries, starting at left tackle for Alaric Jackson, nullified a 41-yard leaping touchdown catch by Nacua earlier in the eight-play, 89-yard drive.
The efficient drive started with a 15-yard run and a 21-yard catch by Williams.
Stafford has completed 22 of 34 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns, with three interceptions.
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Matthew Stafford throws a third interception vs. Falcons
🏈 Falcons 24, Rams 17 — 7:28 left in the fourth quarter
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw his third interception of the game, with Falcons safety Xavier Watts picking off a pass intended for tight end Terrance Ferguson. It was Watts’ second interception tonight.
Watts initially returned the ball to the end zone, but the ball came back to the Atlanta 42 after it was determined Watts ran out of bounds and the Falcons drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
The Rams defense held Atlanta to a three and out on the ensuing drive, putting the ball back in Stafford’s hands at the L.A. 11-yard line with 7:28 left in regulation.
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Jared Verse scores on blocked field goal to make it one-score game
🏈 Falcons 24, Rams 17 — End of third quarter
Jared Verse blocked a field-goal attempt and returned it 76 yards for a touchdown to pull the Rams to within seven points with 31 seconds left in the third quarter.
It was the second career touchdown for Verse, who returned a fumble for a touchdown last season in an NFC wild-card victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
Verse was voted to the Pro Bowl for the second time last week.
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Rams finally find the end zone in the third quarter
🏈 Falcons 24, Rams 10 — 4:59 left in the third quarter
Matthew Stafford connected with rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson for a 27-yard touchdown to cut the Falcons’ lead to 14 points.
Stafford has completed 15 of 25 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions.
Stafford has passed for 42 touchdowns, with seven interceptions.
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Bijan Robinson’s 31-yard run sets up field goal for Falcons
🏈 Falcons 24, Rams 3 — 7:46 left in the third quarter
Zane Gonzalez kicked a 56-yard field goal to restore the Falcons’ lead to 21 points.
Bijan Robinson set up the field goal with a 31-yard run.
Robinson has rushed for 155 yards and a touchdown in 13 carries. He also has a touchdown catch.
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Rams settle for field goal after Matthew Stafford is sacked
🏈 Falcons 21, Rams 3 — 11:08 left in the third quarter
Harrison Mevis kicked a 35-yard field goal for the Rams’ first points.
The Rams started the second half the same way they ended the first — by giving up a sack.
But Matthew Stafford connected with Xavier Smith for a 36-yard pass that moved the ball before the drive stalled because of another sack.
Stafford has completed 12 of 24 passes for 144 yards, with two interceptions.
He moved past Ben Roethlisberger into sixth place on the NFL’s all-time passing yardage list.
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Falcons extend their lead on a 93-yard touchdown run
🏈 Falcons 21, Rams 0 — 1:28 left in the second quarter
Bijan Robinson broke off a 93-yard touchdown run to keep the momentum with the Falcons.
Robinson scored one play after safety Xavier Watts intercepted a pass by Matthew Stafford, the Falcons’ second interception of the game.
Stafford has completed seven of 14 passes for 76 yards.
Robinson has rushed for 125 yards in 11 carries. He also caught a touchdown pass.
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Matthew Stafford throws a pick-six as Falcons take 14-0 lead
🏈 Falcons 14, Rams 0 — 8:30 left in the second quarter
Jessie Bates III intercepted a pass by Matthew Stafford and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown.
It was only the sixth pass Stafford had intercepted this season.
Stafford, who went into the game with a league-leading 40 touchdown passes, has completed five of 10 passes for 43 yards.
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Falcons take early lead on Bijan Robinson touchdown catch
🏈 Falcons 7, Rams 0 — 6:11 left in the first quarter
Kirk Cousins tossed a four-yard touchdown pass to running back Bijan Robinson to give the Falcons the lead.
Cousins led an 11-play, 65-yard scoring drive with several key passes. He found David Sills Jr. for 13- and 20-yard gains that helped set up the touchdown pass.
Cousins has completed four of seven passes for 50 yards.
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Kobie Turner hopes to continue his hot streak in Atlanta
Rams defensive lineman Kobie Turner has surged in the second half of the season, recording nearly half of his seven sacks and an interception over the last three games.
“I’ve been able to seize opportunities where I can go out and make plays,” said Turner, a third-year pro. “And I’ve been able to have the courage to just go out and cut it loose, and that’s been able to show up big time.”
Turner aims to continue disrupting the offense when the Rams play the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“I feel like I do naturally tend to heat up at the end of the year,” he said. “And I’m excited to see how far this thing can go.”
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Jared Verse and Byron Young are more than just the Rams’ dynamic defensive duo
Jared Verse was on the field running at the Rams’ Woodland Hills training facility. Byron Young was nearby working out in the weight room.
When Rams coach Sean McVay informed the two edge rushers that they had both been voted to the Pro Bowl, Young ran to meet Verse, and a celebration ensued.
“It was kind of weird the way we, like, hype up each other,” Verse said, laughing heartily.
The two players hugged and jumped in a circle. They tackled each other to the ground. Then they got to their feet and hugged again.
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Nate Landman ready to face his former teammates
Nate Landman signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and had three productive seasons before signing with the Rams.
On Monday night, Landman returns to Mercedes-Benz Stadium as a captain and a leader on the Rams defense.
“It’s going to be cool to see some familiar faces and be back in a familiar stadium, but it’s just another game,” Landman said.
Landman has a team-best 123 tackles and has intercepted a pass and forced four fumbles. Last month, the Rams signed Landman to an extension that includes more than $15 million in guarantees.
Landman said his approach for the game against the Falcons will not change.
“I’ll still show up the way I have for past games this season,” he said. “I’m on a new team but excited to see those guys.
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Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford not concerned about Pro Bowl selections
Matthew Stafford was voted to the Pro Bowl this season, but the Rams veteran quarterback stopped concerning himself about the recognition more than a decade ago.
In 2011, the then third-year pro passed for more than 5,000 yards and 41 touchdowns for the Detroit Lions.
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D.J. Humphries set to be Matthew Stafford’s blind-side protector
With left tackle Alaric Jackson inactive for Monday night’s game against the Atlanta Falcons because of an ankle injury, veteran D.J. Humphries will be called on to protect Matthew Stafford’s blind side.
The Rams signed Humphries, who turned 32 on Sunday, before the season because Jackson was dealing with blood clot issues.
“I’ve always proceeded with the mentality that I’m the starter so if the time ever comes, I’m going to be ready for it,” Humphries said last week.
Humphries has played 10 NFL seasons, the first eight with the Arizona Cardinals. He has played in six games this season.
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Rams vs. Atlanta Falcons inactives for Monday night
Rams wide receiver Davante Adams and offensive lineman Alaric Jackson are among the players who will not be suiting up Monday against the Falcons.
Rams inactives:
Falcons inactives:
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Rams star Puka Nacua on criticizing refs: I’ll ‘never let it happen again’
Rams players enjoyed the day off they got for Christmas, perhaps no one more than Puka Nacua.
The previous week, the star receiver was fined $25,000 by the NFL after he made critical comments about officials during a livestream and then again in a social media post immediately after the Rams’ crushing 38-37 overtime defeat by the Seattle Seahawks.
The fine capped a week during which Nacua also apologized for making an antisemitic gesture during the livestream — an incident that caused the Rams and the NFL also to issue statements.
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Matthew Stafford among Rams selected to Pro Bowl; Cardinals sign Joshua Karty
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, receiver Puka Nacua and edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young were voted to the Pro Bowl, the NFL announced.
Stafford, 37, has passed for a league leading 4,179 yards and 40 touchdowns, with five interceptions, for a Rams team that is 11-4 and currently seeded sixth for the NFC playoffs. The Rams play at the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night in the second-to-last game of the regular season. Stafford also made the Pro Bowl in 2014 and 2023.
Quarterbacks Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks and Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys also made the NFC roster.
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Plenty at stake for Rams heading into showdown with familiar Falcons
It’s a late-season matchup with subplots galore.
The Rams’ game against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium pits several of the NFL’s closest coaching friends against each other with playoff and draft positions, job security and possibly the most valuable player award on the line.
The Rams are 11-4 and coming off a crushing 38-37 overtime defeat by the Seattle Seahawks. The loss knocked the Rams out of the No. 1 seed in the NFC and dropped them to No. 6 with two games left.
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Sean McVay on the Rams’ special teams issues: ‘We need to be better’
Rams coach Sean McVay worked with Ben Kotwica for three NFL seasons in Washington when McVay was the team’s offensive coordinator and Kotwica was the special teams coordinator.
In the aftermath of McVay’s firing of special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn, Kotwica will oversee the unit, McVay said Monday during a videoconference with reporters.
“I know his capacity, I know the accountability, I know the core belief that he has,” McVay said of Kotwica, who has been a Rams assistant this season after working as the Denver Broncos defensive coordinator the previous two. “This late in the year, you’re not naive to, you’re going to keep a lot of the foundational things.
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Rams vs. Atlanta Falcons: How to watch, start time, odds and prediction
Kicker Harrison Mevis aims to get back on track when the Rams play the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Mevis, signed by the Rams in November, made all eight of his field-goal attempts before missing from 48 yards late in the fourth quarter of the Rams’ 38-37 overtime defeat by the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 18 in Seattle.
“Just continuing to keep firing away,” Mevis said. “I’m not going to be perfect in my career — nobody is. And it’s all about how you respond and bounce back and make the next kick.”
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Gary Klein breaks down everything you need to know heading into Monday night’s matchup between the Rams and the Atlanta Falcons.
In the aftermath of the loss, which included a fourth-quarter punt return for a touchdown by the Seahawks, Rams coach Sean McVay fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn.
Three of the Rams’ four losses have resulted from major kicking-game miscues, and Blackburn’s firing was just the latest change made to solve the issues.
When the Rams signed Mevis to replace Joshua Karty — who last week was signed by the Arizona Cardinals off the Rams practice squad — they also brought in veteran snapper Jake McQuaide to replace Alex Ward.
The game against the Falcons will serve as Ben Kotwica’s debut as interim special teams coordinator.
Kotwica has worked in the NFL for most of the last 18 years, and he coached with McVay on Washington’s staff. Kotwica was the Denver Broncos special teams coordinator in 2023 and 2024 before joining the Rams staff as a special teams assistant.