Zane Gonzalez hit a 52-yard field goal to win the game. I repeat: 52 yards to win on Monday night over the Los Angeles Rams. The Falcons have now won three games in a row. This is not a prank. This is the real deal.
The Los Angeles Rams hadn’t been held scoreless during the first half of a game all season before they set foot in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Falcons had failed to hold an opponent scoreless during the first half of any game this season. On Monday, against a team with nearly twice as many victories, Atlanta accomplished that feat.
That defensive effort could be seen as a sign of what this team is capable of when healthy and focused. Or it could just be a good night in a season of bad nights. The Falcons’ defense also gave up 21 unanswered points, including a touchdown on a blocked field goal late in the third quarter. Either way, the Atlanta Falcons won their seventh game of the season.
The Atlanta Falcons are at the end of the road. There’s only one remaining game on the 2025 schedule, and after Monday night’s victory over the Los Angeles Rams, there’s a good chance to end the season on a high note. The Falcons are now on a three-game winning streak.
On Monday night, the Atlanta Falcons faced the Los Angeles Rams in a game that meant much more to the visiting Rams than it did to the Falcons. But only in the standings. The Rams were a game behind the San Francisco 49ers and two games behind the Seattle Seahawks, two teams that had defeated the Falcons this season. Atlanta, on the other hand, was looking to extend their two-game winning streak and get another game closer to going .500 at home.
Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The game got off to a competitive start, with Atlanta scoring on the second offensive possession of the game. The 11-play, 65-yard drive included Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins finding receivers David Sills IV and Darnell Mooney on long pass routes, and running back Bijan Robinson with a pair of passes, the latter for the first touchdown of the game. Robinson came into the game with 2,000 total yards from scrimmage and had already passed the 800-yard receiving mark following the first quarter. In just his third season, Robinson now has the team’s single-season record for most yards from scrimmage.
On the following defensive possession, the Falcons’ defensive front, arguably the MVP of the season, got a big fourth-down stop on their own 13-yard line. Reserve edge rusher Khalid Kareem came up with the big stop on Rams running back Kyren Williams.
Early in the second quarter, Atlanta failed to take advantage of that seven-point cushion and punted on their next possession. The Rams, led by former University of Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford, did even worse on their next opportunity to score. Stafford was not only picked off by Falcons safety Jessie Bates III at the Rams’ 25-yard line, but he had to watch Bates III make his way into the end zone, putting Atlanta ahead 14-0 following the extra point by kicker Zane Gonzalez.
The interception was only the fifth of the season for Stafford. He would throw a sixth interception on the following Rams possession. Prior to Monday night, Stafford had only thrown two interceptions in one game this season, a 31-28 loss at Carolina on November 30. Stafford was sacked twice in that game. He was sacked four times during the first half of the game on Monday night.
Robinson added a second touchdown to his 125-yard first half with a 93-yard run that put Atlanta ahead 21-0 with 1:28 remaining in the first half.
Falcons rookie safety Xavier Watts intercepted two Stafford passes during the game. The latter ended a drive that could have tied the score with nine minutes remaining in the game. Watts now has five interceptions on the season.
None of that mattered as the Rams scored 21 unanswered points to tie the game at 24 with less than three minutes to play. Rams receiver Puca Nacua, who had been a problem the entire game, scored the game-tying touchdown.