Week 17 | December 29, 2025 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA | Attendance: 69,313 | ESPN
Zane Gonzalez’s 51-yard field goal split the uprights with 21 seconds left Monday night, and just like that, the Los Angeles Rams’ regular-season finale became one of the uglier memories of their 2025 campaign. Final score: Atlanta Falcons 27, Los Angeles Rams 24.
Bijan Robinson ran for 195 yards, including a 93-yard touchdown that broke the franchise record for the longest run in Atlanta history. The Falcons blew a 21-point lead — twice — and still won. And Matthew Stafford, who came in leading the NFL in passing touchdowns and yards, threw three interceptions in one of the worst nights of his season.
Sean McVay said it plainly in the postgame: “This is a humbling league and we got humbled tonight.”
Table of Contents
How Atlanta Built a 21-0 Lead
The Rams were shut out in the first half for just the third time in nine seasons under McVay. Atlanta’s defense forced three turnovers in two quarters, and the Falcons’ offense punched in three touchdowns without Stafford getting Los Angeles on the board once.
The scoring opened at 6:11 of the first quarter — an 11-play, 65-yard drive capped by Robinson catching a 4-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins.
Then Stafford’s second interception of the night, picked off by rookie safety Xavier Watts, gave the Falcons the ball at their own 7-yard line with 1:28 left in the second quarter. One play later, Robinson took a handoff, hit a seam, and outran the entire Rams defense 93 yards down the sideline. The longest run in Atlanta franchise history. The longest run in the NFL in 2025. Drake London’s downfield block helped spring it loose.
Robinson kept it simple afterward: “It takes everybody for those kind of runs to happen.”
Sandwiched between those two Robinson touchdowns was a Jessie Bates III 34-yard interception return for a score that made it 14-0. The Falcons went into halftime up 21-0, and Los Angeles had yet to cross midfield for a point.
The Rams’ Second-Half Comeback
Down 21 at the break, Los Angeles came out in the third quarter and started moving the ball. Harrison Mevis connected on a 35-yard field goal to cut it to 21-3. Atlanta answered quickly — Gonzalez hit a 56-yarder to push it to 24-3. At that point, with the Rams still needing three scores, the game looked finished.
Then Jared Verse happened.
Verse blocked a Gonzalez 37-yard field goal attempt and returned it 76 yards for a touchdown — the Rams’ first blocked kick returned for a score since 1986. That made it 24-10.
Stafford then drove Los Angeles 89 yards on eight plays in the fourth quarter, finishing with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Puka Nacua with 2:46 remaining. Tied at 24.
Atlanta got the ball back and drove just enough — 32 yards in nine plays — to set up Gonzalez’s walk-off. The kick was true from 51 yards. Ballgame.
“I love the way that we found a way to get back in the game, but we weren’t able to close it out,” McVay said.
Stafford vs. Cousins: The QB Contrast
The quarterback numbers told the full story of Monday night’s outcome.
| Stat | Matthew Stafford (LAR) | Kirk Cousins (ATL) |
|---|---|---|
| Completions / Attempts | 22 / 38 | 13 / 20 |
| Passing Yards | 269 | 126 |
| Touchdowns | 2 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 3 | 0 |
| Sacks Taken | 3 (21 yds lost) | 0 |
| Passer Rating | 64.5 | 99.2 |
| QBR | 41.0 | 71.0 |
| Avg Depth of Target | 13.5 yds | 8.2 yds |
| Time to Throw | 3.00s | 2.53s |
| Adjusted Completion % | 67.6% | 68.4% |
Stafford had thrown five interceptions across the entire regular season before Monday. He threw three in one night. His first pick came in the opening quarter. His second — Watts’ first — led directly to Robinson’s 93-yard score. Watts’ second pick came on a fourth-down play from the Atlanta 27 with 9:04 left, ending the Rams’ last real threat before the final drive.
Stafford finished the 2025 regular season with a career-best 42 touchdown passes. But this game, he was the first to say it: “I just didn’t play well enough. Nothing they did, to be honest with you. Same kind of stuff that they’ve been doing all year. Just — we didn’t execute well enough.”
Cousins, meanwhile, managed the game cleanly. Thirteen completions, no turnovers, zero sacks. Atlanta won on the ground — that was always the plan — and Cousins didn’t need to be the story.
Full Box Score
Passing
| Player | Team | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | SACKS | RTG | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Stafford | LAR | 22/38 | 269 | 7.1 | 2 | 3 | 3-21 | 64.5 | 41.0 |
| Kirk Cousins | ATL | 13/20 | 126 | 6.3 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 99.2 | 71.0 |
Rushing
| Player | Team | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | MTF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bijan Robinson | ATL | 22 | 195 | 8.9 | 1 | 93 | 11 |
| Kyren Williams | LAR | 13 | 92 | 7.1 | 0 | 22 | 3 |
| Tyler Allgeier | ATL | 10 | 23 | 2.3 | 0 | 6 | 4 |
| Blake Corum | LAR | 6 | 18 | 3.0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Ronnie Rivers | LAR | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Kirk Cousins | ATL | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Team Totals | LAR | 20 | 115 | 5.8 | 0 | 22 | 5 |
| Team Totals | ATL | 33 | 219 | 6.6 | 1 | 93 | 15 |
Receiving
| Player | Team | REC | TGT | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | YAC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xavier Smith | LAR | 4 | 6 | 67 | 16.8 | 0 | 36 | 39 |
| Terrance Ferguson | LAR | 2 | 4 | 54 | 27.0 | 1 | 27 | 2 |
| Colby Parkinson | LAR | 6 | 7 | 53 | 8.8 | 0 | 16 | 28 |
| Puka Nacua | LAR | 5 | 10 | 47 | 9.4 | 1 | 11 | 26 |
| Kyren Williams | LAR | 3 | 3 | 38 | 12.7 | 0 | 21 | 28 |
| Konata Mumpfield | LAR | 2 | 5 | 10 | 5.0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Tutu Atwell | LAR | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| David Sills V | ATL | 3 | 4 | 37 | 12.3 | 0 | 20 | 8 |
| Darnell Mooney | ATL | 2 | 3 | 35 | 17.5 | 0 | 22 | 5 |
| Bijan Robinson | ATL | 5 | 8 | 34 | 6.8 | 1 | 11 | 42 |
| Kyle Pitts | ATL | 2 | 3 | 16 | 8.0 | 0 | 11 | 4 |
| Drake London | ATL | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Charlie Woerner | ATL | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| Team Totals | LAR | 22 | 36 | 269 | 12.2 | 2 | 36 | 123 |
| Team Totals | ATL | 13 | 20 | 126 | 9.7 | 1 | 22 | 59 |
Defense
| Player | Team | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | PD | QB HTS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divine Deablo | ATL | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kam Curl | LAR | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Omar Speights | LAR | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Byron Young | LAR | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| A.J. Terrell | ATL | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jessie Bates III | ATL | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Jared Verse | LAR | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Nate Landman | LAR | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Xavier Watts | ATL | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Kobie Turner | LAR | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kamren Kinchens | LAR | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LaCale London | ATL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaden Elliss | ATL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Leonard Floyd | ATL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Ruke Orhorhoro | ATL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Brandon Dorlus | ATL | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| David Onyemata | ATL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Khalid Kareem | ATL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jaylen McCollough | LAR | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Emmanuel Forbes Jr. | LAR | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Poona Ford | LAR | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ty Hamilton | LAR | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Braden Fiske | LAR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Interceptions
| Player | Team | INT | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xavier Watts | ATL | 2 | 32 | 0 |
| Jessie Bates III | ATL | 1 | 34 | 1 |
| Team Total | ATL | 3 | 66 | 1 |
| Team Total | LAR | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Team | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zane Gonzalez | ATL | 2/3 | 66.7% | 56 | 3/3 | 10 |
| Harrison Mevis | LAR | 1/1 | 100% | 35 | 3/3 | 5 |
Gonzalez missed a 37-yard attempt that Jared Verse blocked and returned 76 yards for a Rams touchdown.
Punting
| Player | Team | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradley Pinion | ATL | 5 | 246 | 49.2 | 0 | 3 | 61 |
| Ethan Evans | LAR | 2 | 90 | 45.0 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
Kick & Punt Returns
| Player | Team | Type | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Whittington | LAR | Kick | 3 | 80 | 26.7 | 38 | 0 |
| Dylan Drummond | ATL | Kick | 2 | 54 | 27.0 | 32 | 0 |
| Deven Thompkins | ATL | Kick | 2 | 39 | 19.5 | 21 | 0 |
| Xavier Smith | LAR | Punt | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 12 | 0 |
Team Stats
| Category | Los Angeles Rams | Atlanta Falcons |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 24 | 27 |
| Total Yards | 363 | 345 |
| Passing Yards | 248 | 126 |
| Rushing Yards | 115 | 219 |
| Total Plays | 61 | 53 |
| Yards Per Play | 6.0 | 6.5 |
| 1st Downs | 16 | 15 |
| Passing 1st Downs | 10 | 8 |
| Rushing 1st Downs | 5 | 5 |
| Penalty 1st Downs | 0 | 1 |
| 3rd Down Efficiency | 5/13 (38%) | 5/13 (38%) |
| 4th Down Efficiency | 1/4 (25%) | 0/0 |
| Red Zone (Made-Att) | 1/3 (67%) | 1/2 (50%) |
| Total Drives | 11 | 10 |
| Avg Plays Per Drive | 6.0 | 6.4 |
| Avg Yards Per Drive | 30.3 | 32.7 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Sacks Allowed | 3 (21 yds) | 0 |
| Penalties | 4 for 35 yds | 7 for 42 yds |
| Explosive Passes (15+ yds) | 7 | 2 |
| Explosive Runs (10+ yds) | 3 | 3 |
| Total Pressures Allowed | 21 | 11 |
| Time of Possession | 30:15 | 29:45 |
| Defensive / ST TDs | 1 | 1 |
PFF Initial Grades — Top Performers
| Player | Team | POS | PFF Grade | Snaps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khalid Kareem | ATL | ED | 91.3 | 12 |
| Bijan Robinson | ATL | HB | 87.9 | 42 |
| Xavier Watts | ATL | S | 82.7 | 65 |
| Brandon Dorlus | ATL | DI | 81.4 | 22 |
| Terrance Ferguson | LAR | TE | 83.3 | 32 |
| Kobie Turner | LAR | DI | 82.3 | 38 |
| Puka Nacua | LAR | WR | 77.4 | 48 |
| Kam Curl | LAR | S | 77.8 | 53 |
PFF grades are initial and subject to review.
Robinson’s Night by the Numbers
Robinson’s 195 rushing yards came on 22 carries. He forced 11 missed tackles on the ground alone — a number that explains why Atlanta’s run looked so unstoppable at points. Add five catches for 34 yards and a receiving touchdown, and his final scrimmage yard total sat at 229 for the game.
That pushed his 2025 season total to 2,255 scrimmage yards — breaking William Andrews’ Falcons franchise record of 2,176, set in 1983. Robinson also tied a receiving touchdown on the night to go alongside his record-breaking run.
Injuries
Los Angeles Rams:
- WR Davante Adams (hamstring) — held out, playoff-related decision
- RG Kevin Dotson (ankle) — held out
- LT Alaric Jackson (ankle) — held out
- RB Blake Corum — left in Q2 with a right ankle injury, listed as questionable
- S Jaylen McCollough (hip) — questionable to return after Q2
- CB Roger McCreary — activated from injured reserve, played 11 snaps
Atlanta Falcons:
- DL Brandon Dorlus (left knee) — helped off the field in Q3, did not return; had recorded a sack and three pressures before exiting
- CB Mike Ford Jr. (ankle) — questionable
- CB Mike Hughes — missed second consecutive game with an ankle sprain
- ILB Josh Woods — inactive, personal matter
The Playoff Picture
The Rams entered Week 17 locked into the No. 5 seed from the NFC, with NFC West rivals Seattle and San Francisco both winning on Sunday to seal Los Angeles’ road postseason path. This game was about momentum — and the Rams carried none of it heading into January.
The Falcons, winners of three straight to close 7-9, played their best football of the second half of the season when it no longer counted in the standings.
The Los Angeles Rams came to Atlanta carrying the NFL’s best offense and left with a quarterback who threw three interceptions, a defense that gave up 219 rushing yards, and a loss that exposed exactly the kind of vulnerability a playoff road run cannot afford. Bijan Robinson made sure this game went into the books as his — 195 yards, a franchise-record run, a record-setting season, and a win nobody outside of Atlanta saw coming. The Rams got humbled. Robinson made history. And Gonzalez’s walk-off sent 69,313 people home loud.
