The Atlanta Falcons delivered a wake-up call to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.
The Falcons were up 21-0 and never let up, beating the 11-4 Rams 27-24 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Rams were held scoreless for just the third time 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. The NFC South is set up for full chaos in Week 18
The Falcons, despite starting the season 4-9 and being eliminated from playoff contention, will decide the NFC South in Week 18 with their matchup against the New Orleans Saints.
The Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play on Saturday in Tampa. The winner of that game will have the edge in the tiebreaker between the two teams. If the Panthers win, they are in the playoffs as the No. 4 seed in the NFC.
Here’s where things get tricky. If the Buccaneers win that game, they don’t necessarily win the division. If the Falcons beat the Saints on Sunday, Atlanta would be 8-9, as would the Buccaneers and Panthers if Tampa Bay beat Carolina.
In that scenario, the Panthers would have the edge in a three-way tiebreaker against the Buccaneers and Falcons because of their 3-1 record against those teams.
So, even if the Buccaneers win on Saturday, they will be relying on the Saints to beat the Falcons the following day to ensure their playoff berth.
Robinson is a stud. In the first half, he scored two touchdowns, including a 93-yard score on the ground that was the longest rush in Falcons franchise history.
Robinson had 1,250 rushing yards and 776 more receiving coming into this game. With 229 more on Monday night, he’s now second in the NFL in all-purpose yards, trailing only Titans wide receiver Chimere Dike, who is in first because of his kick-returning prowess.
Robinson has now had at least 100 all-purpose yards in six of the Falcons’ last seven games. He has been held under 100 five times this season, and Atlanta is 0-5 in those games.
3. What has happened to the Rams?
Entering the Rams’ Week 16 matchup against the Seahawks, Los Angeles was 11-3 and in control of its own destiny. If the Rams won out, they would have been the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
The Rams took a 30-14 lead early in the fourth quarter against Seattle, but they blew that lead and lost 38-37 in overtime. Their next time out was tonight.
Now, Los Angeles is 11-5 and needs help to avoid being the No. 6 seed in the NFC. If the Rams win next week at home against the Cardinals and the Seahawks win on the road against the 49ers, they will be the No. 5 seed. If both of those things don’t happen, it will be the No. 6.
The difference between those seeds is noteworthy. The No. 5 seed will travel to face the winner of the NFC South. The No. 6 seed will have to face either the reigning-champion Philadelphia Eagles or the NFC North-champion Chicago Bears on the road.
Between the second half and overtime in Seattle and the first half in Atlanta, the Rams allowed 52 points. They dug themselves a hole and might have to pay for it in the form of a difficult playoff gauntlet.
Sean McVay saw his Rams lose their second straight game on Monday night for the first time this season. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
4. Stafford’s MVP stock is trending downward
Despite the loss in Seattle, Stafford still entered Week 17 as the betting favorite to win the NFL MVP. He threw for 457 yards and three touchdowns against the Seahawks.
Since then, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has played twice. In those games, he was 50-of-65 (76.9%) for 646 passing yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. He had five of those touchdowns in a blowout win over the Jets on Sunday.
Stafford was still the favorite, but a strong outing on Monday night would go a long way in further establishing himself as the guy to beat for the MVP award.
Well, Stafford threw two first-half interceptions and saw his offense held scoreless. He got going a bit more in the second half and finished 22-of-38 for 269 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Those turnovers will be the lasting memory in people’s minds.
This was Stafford’s first three-interception game since the Rams’ first game of the 2022 season against the Bills.
4 ½. What’s next?
The Rams will host the Cardinals in Week 18. Arizona’s season is over, so a full-strength Los Angeles roster should win comfortably. It remains to be seen, though, whether Stafford and the rest of the Rams starters will see the field. Head coach Sean McVay could opt to keep his players healthy.
The Falcons, meanwhile, will decide the NFC South in their matchup against the Saints (1 p.m. ET on FOX) even though both teams have been eliminated from playoff contention.
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