The Los Angeles Rams will try to quickly shake off a heartbreaking loss when they visit the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, with kickoff set for 8:15 p.m. EST on ESPN. Los Angeles enters the matchup at 11-4 and firmly in the playoff picture, while Atlanta (6-9) is aiming to build momentum and play spoiler down the stretch.
This will be the 82nd meeting between the franchises, with the Rams holding a 49-30-2 edge in the all-time series. Los Angeles has won the past two regular-season matchups, scoring at least 31 points in both, including a 31-27 victory in the most recent meeting on Sept. 18, 2022, in Inglewood. However, Atlanta has had the upper hand when it matters most in January, winning both postseason clashes — most notably a 26-13 NFC wild-card victory that ended Rams coach Sean McVay’s first season in January 2018.
The Rams are coming off a stunning 38-37 overtime loss at Seattle, a game that showcased both their offensive firepower and defensive vulnerabilities. Despite the defeat, Los Angeles continued its recent scoring surge, reaching at least 30 points for the third straight game — something the franchise hadn’t done since 2018.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford has been at the center of that run. He leads the NFL with 40 touchdown passes and has thrown just five interceptions, putting together one of the most efficient seasons of his career. Stafford needs two touchdown passes over the final two games to set a new single-season career high, surpassing the 41 he threw in both 2011 with Detroit and 2021 with the Rams.
Wide receiver Puka Nacua remains Stafford’s most explosive weapon. Nacua torched the Seahawks for a career-high 225 receiving yards last week, his third straight 100-yard performance and sixth of the season. The Rams’ offense is once again among the league’s elite, leading the NFL in scoring — a feat they last accomplished in McVay’s debut season in 2017 and have now done six times since the AFL-NFL merger.
Tight end Colby Parkinson is also on the brink of history, needing one more touchdown reception to set the Rams’ single-season record at the position. Defensively, lineman Kobie Turner added a milestone of his own last week with his first career interception. Turner also needs 2½ sacks over the final two games to set a new career high after posting nine sacks as a rookie in 2023.
Atlanta returns home after a 26-19 win at Arizona, one of its six victories this season. Three of those wins have come in prime time — against Minnesota, Buffalo and Tampa Bay — showing the Falcons’ ability to rise to the occasion under the national spotlight. Their lone prime-time loss came at San Francisco.
Defense has been Atlanta’s calling card. The Falcons rank second in the NFL with 50 sacks, just five shy of the franchise record set in 1997. That pass rush could be a key factor against a Rams offense that thrives on timing and rhythm.
Monday night also features plenty of familiar faces. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris previously served as the Rams’ defensive coordinator from 2021-23, and Atlanta’s staff includes several assistants with ties to McVay’s tenure in Los Angeles, including offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and multiple offensive and performance staff members.
The matchup pits one of the league’s hottest offenses against one of its most aggressive pass rushes. For the Rams, it’s about bouncing back from a gut-punch loss and continuing their march toward the postseason. For the Falcons, it’s another opportunity to prove they can compete on a big stage — and perhaps disrupt a Super Bowl contender in the process.
Under the Monday night lights in Atlanta, history, storylines and playoff implications collide as the Rams and Falcons renew a long-standing rivalry.
