The Los Angeles Rams lost to the Atalanta Falcons by a final score of 27-24 in Week 17 of the NFL season. This entire season has been wild with big leads, comebacks and all-around chaos, so when the Rams fell 21-0, and then found themselves suddenly trailing 24-17 to start the fourth quarter, you couldn’t tell how this game would end, and that was fitting.
It ended with the Falcons finding a way to win, while the Rams found a way to come up short.
The game could not start much better for the Falcons
as Kirk Cousins threw a score to take a 7-0 lead, then Matthew Stafford threw a pick-6 causing L.A. to trail 14-0, then ATL capped that off with a long Bijan Robinson score to take a 21-0 lead into the half.
Stafford thew two total picks in the first half, and the team looked out-matched by the Falcons in all three phases. However, to the Rams’ credit, they didn’t quit on Sean McVay.
It didn’t happen right away, but eventually the Rams scored a field goal to make the score 24-3, then they added on a Stafford score to Terrance Ferguson to make the game 24-10, and then it was L.A.‘s special teams and Jared Verse who managed to block an Atlanta field goal to make the game 24-17.
Then, with the Rams driving with a chance to tie, Stafford threw his third interception of the game on a fourth down play (L.A. didn’t opt for a field goal there) which then gave momentum back to the Falcons, but L.A.‘s defense forced the ball back, and the Rams had a chance again.
Stafford later found Puka Nacua for a score, and after the extra point, L.A. knotted the game up 24-24 with over 2-minutes to go in regulation, and for basically the first time all night, the Rams weren’t trailing.
The Rams failed to prevent Atlanta from getting within field goal range, and just like that, L.A.’s almost impressive comeback came to an end as Atlanta won 27-24.
This Rams team has the ability to come back from a 21-point deficit (though they did lose, they showed a lot of grit), and this team has blown leads of 16 and 19-points. Despite the blunders, they to this point also have won 11 games.
Whatever they are, they are going to the playoffs, whether they are ready or not.
