Falcons blow 3-TD lead, edge Rams on late field goal

Field Level Media

Zane Gonzalez drilled a 51-yard field goal with 21 seconds left to help the Atlanta Falcons stave off the visiting Los Angeles Rams for a 27-24 victory on Monday.

Bijan Robinson rushed for 195 yards and a touchdown while hauling in five catches for 34 yards and a score for the Falcons (7-9), who won their third straight game since being eliminated from postseason contention.

Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins threw for 126 yards and a touchdown, while rookie safety Xavier Watts picked off Matthew Stafford twice. Jessie Bates III had a 34-yard pick-six in the win.

Stafford threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns as the Rams (11-5) dropped their second straight game. Los Angeles knew after Sunday’s results that it was locked into an NFC wild-card berth, with either the Seattle Seahawks (13-3) or the San Francisco 49ers (12-4) set to win NFC West.

Trailing 21-0 at halftime, Los Angeles finally cracked the scoreboard with 11:08 left in the third quarter, when Harrison Mevis kicked a 35-yard field goal.

After Gonzalez’s 56-yard field goal pushed Atlanta’s lead back to 21, Stafford hit Terrance Ferguson for a 27-yard touchdown to pull the Rams within 14 points with 4:59 remaining in the third.

Atlanta then lined up to take another three-possession lead, but Jared Verse blocked and returned Gonzalez’s field-goal attempt 76 yards for a touchdown to trim the Falcons’ lead to 24-17 in the last minute of the third quarter.

After the Falcons punted, Xavier Watts picked off Stafford for a second time, and Atlanta took over at the Los Angeles 43-yard line. However, Atlanta went three-and-out.

From there, the Rams knotted the score at 24 as Stafford’s 11-yard pass to Puka Nacua stamped an eight-play, 89-yard drive with 2:46 left in the fourth.

After Gonzalez’s go-ahead field goal, Stafford threw four consecutive incompletions to finish the game.

Cousins’ 4-yard touchdown pass to Robinson gave the Falcons a 7-0 lead with 6:11 left in the first quarter.

Los Angeles was stuffed at Atlanta’s 11-yard line on fourth-and-1 on its next drive before the Falcons doubled their lead on Bates’ pick-six.

The Falcons’ dominant first-half defensive performance continued as Watts intercepted Stafford on the Atlanta 7-yard line. The Falcons took advantage on the next play, as Robinson scampered for a 93-yard touchdown with 1:28 remaining in the first half.

Robinson’s rush was the fourth-longest run in the history of “Monday Night Football.”