The Los Angeles Rams have suffered a painful defeat. A weak first half and a poor evening for MVP favorite Matthew Stafford saw the Rams lose 24-27 to the Atlanta Falcons. A dark evening for quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams: at the end of the 17th match day of the NFL, the Rams lost 24-27 to the Atlanta Falcons.

The first half in particular was a nightmare for LA: for only the third time under Sean MacVay, after 2024 against the New Orleans Saints and 2018 in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, the Rams failed to score in the first two quarters, with the Falcons leading 21-0 at halftime.

Stafford threw three interceptions in a game for the first time this season, one of which even ended in a pick six by Falcons safety Jessie Bates. Even his 269 passing yards and two touchdowns at the end couldn’t help.

The Rams’ best runner was Kyren Williams, who recorded 115 rushing yards in the box score as a team. The best receiver was Xavier Smith with 67 yards, while Puka Nacua (47 yards) and Terrance Ferguson (54 yards) scored the two touchdowns.

When the Falcons could have made it 27-7 with a field goal, defensive end Jared Verse blocked the field goal attempt and returned it for a touchdown. The Rams even managed to tie the game, but a last-minute field goal by the Falcons’ Zane Gonzalez from 51 yards out had the final say in the game.

Atlanta Falcons: Bijan Robinson unstoppable

The Falcons, who were only playing for pride—ironically, the 2026 first-round pick belongs to the Rams—gave their fans a conciliatory home finale. Quarterback Kirk Cousins was unremarkable with 13 completed passes for 126 yards and one touchdown.

Running back Bijan Robinson was a different story. The ball carrier single-handedly turned the Rams’ defense inside out, scoring a 93-yard touchdown in the process. Not only was it the longest of his career, it was also the longest rushing touchdown in Falcons franchise history. Robinson finished with 229 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the Falcons’ offense. With 2,255 scrimmage yards, he also broke a second franchise record.
David Sills was the best receiver with 37 yards. The defense also had a great day, especially safety Xavier Watts. The rookie intercepted two passes from Stafford and leads his team in this category with five interceptions. With three sacks, the pass rush also made life difficult for the Rams.

In Week 18, the Atlanta Falcons will play the New Orleans Saints on the road with nothing but pride at stake. Although Atlanta could move to 8-9 with a win and, with a Carolina Panthers loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, be tied with their two NFC South rivals, their worse record within the division prevents any chance of making the playoffs.

The Rams have already qualified for the playoffs, but a win would have given them a clear path to the fifth seed to play against the NFC South champion. Now the Rams will likely enter as the sixth seed, which would result in an away game against the Chicago Bears or Philadelphia Eagles. In Week 18, the Rams host the Arizona Cardinals.