5 Takeaways From the Falcons' Win Over the Rams

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 field goal blocked and returned for a touchdown by Rams edge rusher Jared Verse on Monday, but he's been fairly good as a third kicker of the season goes. He was a 14-for-17 mark on field goals and a 16-for-17 record on extra points. 

The Falcons had to go through struggles with two kickers before they got to him. Add those three wins, and they might be 10-6 and in control of the division instead of just playing spoiler late in the season.

3. Bijan Robinson adds to an All-Pro conundrum

Robinson's monster game against the Rams, with a 93-yard touchdown run and a receiving score contributing to a 229-total-yard night. This complicates a difficult decision coming this weekend for voters deciding the AP All-Pro team.

There is only one running back spot on the first-team All-Pro squad, but there is a spot for an "all-purpose" player, which could be a back who doubles as a pass-catching threat. Voters have to choose between dominant runners like the Colts' Jonathan Taylor, the Bills' James Cook and the Ravens' Derrick Henry, as well as dual-threat backs like Robinson, the 49ers' Christian McCaffrey and the Lions' Jahmyr Gibbs.

Robinson, headed to the Pro Bowl for a second straight year, rushed for a career-high 195 yards in Monday's win. He's already over 2,000 yards from scrimmage, and a high-profile showcase like Monday night could carry a lot of weight with voters. 

In theory, voters can put the same back on their ballot at running back and all-purpose, but if the votes fall right, it's a chance to get four of the league's best backs an All-Pro nod between the first and second teams.

4. Xavier Watts is the unsung part of the Falcons' big trade

Much has been made of the Falcons sending the Rams a 2026 first-round pick to move up from No. 41 to No. 26 in this year's draft and take edge rusher James Pearce. The move has drawn criticism because it will give the Rams a high first-round pick, which could enable them to draft an eventual successor to Stafford.

Not only does Pearce lead all rookies with 8.5 sacks, but he wasn't all the Falcons got in the trade. They also got the Rams' 2025 third-round pick, which they used on Watts, a safety out of Notre Dame. He came up huge in Monday's game, picking off Stafford twice, which gives him five for the season, the most of any rookie.

Atlanta gave up a lot to get Pearce, but they have three of this year's top defensive rookies, not only in Pearce and Watts but also their other first-rounder, Jalon Walker, who is second among all rookies behind his teammate with 5.5 sacks.

5. Big shift in MVP chase?

Matthew Stafford was the odds-on favorite to win NFL MVP honors entering the weekend, but could things swing toward Patriots quarterback Drake Maye? 

Maye had a near-perfect game against the Jets, going 19-for-21 with five touchdowns and no interceptions. Then on Monday, with the spotlight on him, Stafford threw three interceptions after totaling five all season before this game. In the least, the MVP battle has narrowed entering the final week of the season.

5 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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