The Week 17 finale on Monday Night Football features the Los Angeles Rams and the Atlanta Falcons. The Rams are already in the NFC playoffs as a wild-card team, while the Falcons are looking to finish the season on a high note.
Had the Rams (11-4) held on to beat the Seahawks in Week 16, they would’ve had the inside track to the No. 1 seed and the NFC West crown. Instead, their loss dropped them to third in the division, and they were officially eliminated from contention for the NFC West title with Sunday’s wins by the 49ers and Seahawks. Now, after having been the first team to clinch a playoff berth, the Rams can finish as the No. 5 seed at best.
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It’s been a rough year for Atlanta (6-9) as the Falcons will miss the postseason for the eighth year in a row. They’ll secure back-to-back losing seasons under head coach Raheem Morris, who finds himself on the hot seat to close out the year. Atlanta has young stars offensive stars in wide receiver Drake London and Pro Bowl running back Bijan Robinson. They’ll play a seventh straight game with Kirk Cousins at quarterback following a season-ending ACL tear to Michael Penix Jr. Atlanta’s defense is much improved this season, though it doesn’t reflect in the team’s record.
Rams-Falcons start time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta
TV channel, live stream: ESPN, ABC, NFL+
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more as the Rams and Falcons close out Week 17 on “Monday Night Football.”
Live20 updates
Mon, December 29, 2025 at 7:02 PM PST
Jason Owens
The Falcons answered with a 56-yard Zane Gonzalez field goal and have extended their lead back to 21 points at 24-21 with 7:46 remaining in the third quarter.
The Rams need a touchdown, and fast.
- Mon, December 29, 2025 at 6:56 PM PST
Jason Owens
The Rams are on the board, but they remain down by three possessions.
Los Angeles went for it and converted on fourth-and-6 on its first possession of the the second half. But when they faced fourth-and-12 in field-goal range, they settled for a 35-yard Harrison Mevis kick.
The Falcons hold a 21-3 lead early in the third quarter.
- Mon, December 29, 2025 at 6:44 PM PST
Jason Owens
It’s all Falcons at halftime in a stunner against a playoff-bound Rams team.
The Falcons have intercepted Matthew Stafford twice and take a 21-0 lead into the break. A 93-yard Bijan Robinson touchdown run capped off the explosive Atlanta first half.
Falcons
Kirk Cousins: 7 of 11, 68 yards, 1 TD, no turnovers
Bijan Robinson: 11 carries, 125 yards; 2 catches, 13 yards; 2 total TDs
Jessie Bates: 1 interception returned for TDRams
Matthew Stafford: 9 of 17, 96 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs including 1 pick 6
Blake Corum: 6 carries for 18 yards
Puka Nacua: 2 catches for 18 yardsFalcons total offense: 211 yards on 7.5 yards per play, 8 first downs
Rams total offense: 113 yards on 4 yards per play, 5 first downsFalcons turnovers: 0
Rams turnovers: 2 - Mon, December 29, 2025 at 6:35 PM PST
Jason Owens
What a stunner. The Falcons are taking a 21-0 lead into halftime while holding a Sean McVay-coached Rams team scoreless in the first half for just the third time in McVay’s 9-year stint.
Two interceptions of Matthew Stafford and a 93-yard Bijan Robinson touchdown run highlight an electric first half for the Falcons
- Mon, December 29, 2025 at 6:28 PM PST
Jason Owens
The Falcons have blown this thing open after Mathew Stafford’s second interception of the game
Xavier Watts intercepted a Stafford deep ball on first down despite an offensive pass interference penalty on receiver Xavier Smith.
One play later, Bijan Robinson took it to the house for a 93-yard touchdown run an 21-0 Atlanta lead.
- Mon, December 29, 2025 at 6:24 PM PST
Jason Owens
A high-octane Rams offense has been anything put and remains off the scoreboard at the first-half 2-minute warning.
They have the ball back near midfield after a Falcons punt and will look to run a successful 2-minute drill to cut into Atlanta’s 14-0 lead.
- Mon, December 29, 2025 at 6:18 PM PST
Jason Owens
The Rams thought they were in the red zone when Puka Nacua made a sensational contested sideline catch inside the 5-yard line for a 36-yard gain.
But left tackle D.J. Humphries wasn’t lined up on the line of scrimmage and got flagged for an illegal formation penalty that negated the big gain. The Rams punted 3 plays later and remain scoreless as the Falcons hold a 14-0 lead with 4:11 remaining in the first half.
- Mon, December 29, 2025 at 6:08 PM PST
Jason Owens
The Falcons have nothing to play for but are competing tonight.
Matthew Stafford missed the mark with an overthrow downfield, and All-Pro safety Jessie Bates picked it off downfield. Bates returned it 34 yards for a touchdown and 14-0 Falcons lead.
The interception was just Stafford’s sixth of the season. It was the 32nd pick 6 of his 17-season career, tying him with Brett Favre for the most all time, according to the “Monday Night Football” broadcast.
It won’t help his case as he looks to secure league MVP.
- Mon, December 29, 2025 at 6:02 PM PST
Jason Owens
The Falcons ran 10 plays after forcing the turnover on downs in the red zone, but only advanced to their own 48-yard line. They punted on fourth-and-9, and the Rams have the ball back with a 7-0 deficit and 9:54 remaining in the second quarter.
- Mon, December 29, 2025 at 5:50 PM PST
Jason Owens
Khalid Kareem was elevated from Atlanta’s practice squad for Monday’s game and immediately rewarded the Falcons for their decision.
The sixth-year pro anticipated the snap on fourth-and-1 and stuffed Rams running back Kyren Williams in the backfield for a 2-yard loss.
The Falcons take over on downs at their own 13 with a 7-0 lead after coming up with the stop in the red zone.
- Mon, December 29, 2025 at 5:37 PM PST
Jason Owens
Kirk Cousins looked like the Cousins of old on Atlanta’s second drive.
Cousins completed multiple downfield passes and capped a 65-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to to Bijan Robinson for a 7-0 lead.
The Rams stuffed the Falcons on first- and second-and goal. But the Falcons persevered for a third-down touchdown against one of the best red-zone defenses in football.
- Mon, December 29, 2025 at 5:24 PM PST
Jason Owens
The Rams came up short on third-down and punted from their own 15-yard lin e. They needed just a yard for the first down, but going for it inside their own 20 was too risky for even Sean McVay.
- Mon, December 29, 2025 at 5:22 PM PST
Jason Owens
The Falcons failed on a deep third-down pass by Kirk Cousins and punted to the Rams after a 3-and-out. MVP candidate Matthew Stafford will lead the Rams on their first possession.
- Mon, December 29, 2025 at 5:16 PM PST
Jason Owens
The Los Angeles Rams won the toss and deferred to the second half. The Rams kicked off, and the Falcons have the ball first.
Mon, December 29, 2025 at 5:00 PM PST
Kate Magdziuk
It’s almost time! The Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons kick off live from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at 8:15 p.m. ET, airing live on ESPN and NFL+!
Mon, December 29, 2025 at 4:45 PM PST
Frank Schwab
We’re taking the temperature of the coaches on or approaching the hot seat all week. As for Falcons coach Raheem Morris? Things are heating up.
Record with team: 14-18, second season (this stint)
Why he might get fired: Morris hasn’t been flat-out bad, but the Falcons have regressed this season, and the overall operation feels shaky under his watch. While he might end up a fall guy alongside general manager Terry Fontenot, who oversaw an all-in 2025 that included trading away the team’s first-round pick next spring, Morris also hasn’t made a strong case for himself.
Why he might be safe: As mentioned above, the Falcons’ current mess is more on Fontenot. That doesn’t mean Morris is blameless — the McVay tree magic that Atlanta doubtlessly sought by bringing him in along with offensive coordinator Zac Robinson hasn’t materialized — but it also means team owner Arthur Blank might give him another year.
- Mon, December 29, 2025 at 4:30 PM PST
Kate Magdziuk
The Rams will be without starting right guard Kevin Dotson in Week 17 after being carted off with an ankle injury in last week’s loss to the Seahawks.
Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall was suspended for one game for stepping on Dotson’s leg during the play on which he was injured, deemed an act of unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct by the league.
It’s a tough loss for the Rams, who have allowed a league-low 5.3% quarterback pressure rate and the fourth-lowest sack rate (0.5%) so far this season, protecting veteran Matthew Stafford per NFL Next Gen Stats.
Second-year OL Beaux Limmer is expected to start at right guard in Dotson’s place. He started at center for the Rams in 2024, allowing two sacks on 552 pass-blocking opportunities per PFF.
Hall will be eligible to return for the Seahawks in Week 18’s clash against the San Francisco 49ers, which will decide the No. 1 seed in the conference.
- Mon, December 29, 2025 at 4:15 PM PST
Kate Magdziuk
The Los Angeles Rams will be without star wideout Davante Adams for a second straight game this week as he continues to rehab a hamstring injury. He suffered the injury in Week 15’s win over the Detroit Lions and has not practiced since.
Adams currently leads the league with 14 receiving touchdowns — three more than the three players tied for second (Dallas Goedert, Trey McBride, Amon-Ra St. Brown), despite having played just 14 games so far this season.
Without Adams in the lineup in Week 16, Puka Nacua had a career game with 12 catches for 225 receiving yards and two touchdowns for his third consecutive game of 167-plus receiving yards.
Mon, December 29, 2025 at 4:00 PM PST
Matt Russell
Looking to wager on tonight’s Rams-Falcons matchup? Here’s one player prop bet to consider:
Odds courtesy of BetMGM.
TE Kyle Pitts over 5.5 receptions (+115)
Even with London’s return last week, Cousins didn’t stop throwing it to Pitts, with seven connections on nine targets. That makes it 31 catches on 39 looks in the last four games for Pitts with Cousins at the helm. If the Falcons are trailing, as the point spread suggests will likely be the case, then Cousins should be busy and often looking Pitts’ way.
- Mon, December 29, 2025 at 3:45 PM PST
Kate Magdziuk
With less than 90 minutes remaining until the Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons kick off on “Monday Night Football,” each team has announced its Week 17 inactives for gameday.
Here’s a look:
Rams inactives
Falcons inactives