Coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16 that cost the Los Angeles Rams a chance to win the NFC West, the team got an extended break before taking on the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17.
Unlike the Rams, the Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention and thus had nothing left to play for on Monday Night Football. However, Los Angeles owns Atlanta’s 2026 first-round pick so a win would improve their draft positioning.
The Falcons may be out of the playoffs, but they’ve been playing some of their best football as of late thanks to their running game and ascending defense. Meanwhile, the Rams came into the matchup banged up as they were without Alaric Jackson and Kevin Dotson.
Down two starting linemen, head coach Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford were unable to get the offense off the ground in the first half. In fact, it was the worst half of football Los Angeles has played during the 2025 season as they were shutout and went into the locker room trailing 21-0.
The running game was nearly non-existent as Kyren Williams and Blake Corum couldn’t find room to operate. To make matter worse, Corum was forced out of the game with an ankle injury and did not return.
QB1 doing QB1 things 🔥 pic.twitter.com/bChlu3ogPC
— Rams Newswire (@RamsNewswire) December 30, 2025
T-FERG! pic.twitter.com/M39FYJxyTB
— Rams Newswire (@RamsNewswire) December 30, 2025
Signs of life?
Stafford finds Ferguson for the first #RamsHouse TD pic.twitter.com/43UOqbqNZm
— Rams Newswire (@RamsNewswire) December 30, 2025
Jared Verse with the play of the night to get #RamsHouse back in the game 👀 pic.twitter.com/jQ3lFe19Fu
— Rams Newswire (@RamsNewswire) December 30, 2025
Stafford and Puka do what they do best and all of a sudden this game is tied 👀 pic.twitter.com/RDfRGnqsqO
— Rams Newswire (@RamsNewswire) December 30, 2025
The second half was an entirely different story as the Rams finally started to move the football, earning their first points after converting on a field goal to make it 21-3. Later on Stafford shook off his rough first half by finding Terrance Ferguson streaking down uncovered for a 27-yard touchdown strike to make it 24-10.
Near the end of the third quarter, Jared Verse reversed the momentum after blocking a Falcons field goal attempt and running it back himself for a 76-yard score to make it 24-17.
The defense continued to make plays, shutting down Atlanta’s running game to give the offense a chance. Unfortunately, Stafford threw his third pick of the night on an ill-advised fourth-down play to give it back to the Falcons.
L.A.’s defense came through with another stop, allowing Stafford to make up for his mistake. Stafford hit Puka Nacua in the red zone and from there the star wideout ran it into the end zone to tie things up at 24-24.
Unfortunately, the magic stopped there as Atlanta hit a 51-yard field goal that wound up being the game-winner.
With the Rams already locked into a playoff spot, wins and losses will only affect their seeding. If they finish as the fifth seed, they’ll play either the Carolina Panthers or Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If they finish as the sixth seed, they’ll play either the Chicago Bears or Philadelphia Eagles.
What’s next for the Rams
The Rams will finish the 2025 season at home against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 18 on Sunday, Jan. 4 at 1:25 p.m. PT.
