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Bijan Robinson and the Atlanta Falcons may not be headed to the NFL playoffs, but they certainly won’t be mailing it to finish the 2025 season.
A prime example of how much effort the Falcons will have to close out the year can be summed up by a 93-yard touchdown run by the electric Robinson, whose big play helped Atlanta defeat the Los Angeles Rams, 27-24, on “Monday Night Football.”
The Falcons moved to 7-9 with just one game remaining in Week 18, but the Rams’ loss keeps them cemented as the NFC’s sixth seed in January.
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Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons scores a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 29, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
As a result, head coach Sean McVay could sit all of his starters next week against the Arizona Cardinals to ensure their health heading into the Wild Card Round against the third seed, which is yet to be determined.
This game saw an unusual offense from Matthew Stafford and the Rams early on, especially considering what they were able to do on the road against a tough Seattle Seahawks defense in Week 16.
But the Falcons group was up for the challenge, which included key turnovers in the first half.
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After Robinson scored on third-and-goal off a pass from Kirk Cousins to make the score 7-0, the Falcons got the Rams to turn the ball over, while Blake Corum was eaten on a fourth-and-1 play in Atlanta territory.
Then, the next time the Rams had the ball, Stafford had an errant pass go over Konata Mumpfield’s head and land in the arms of veteran safety Jessie Bates III, who took the distance for the third pick-six allowed by Stafford since Week 13.
With a 14-0 lead, the Rams were desperately trying to put up some points before halftime, and Stafford decided to throw a ball to Xavier Smith down the field in the second quarter. Once again the Falcons came up with the interception, this time Xavier Watts jumped the route for the pick.
The Falcons needed just one play at their own seven-yard line, as Robinson found the seam he needed and was off to the races. A 21-0 halftime lead was the result of a shocking event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but Los Angeles has proven all season that it never runs out of a game.
The tides turned after the Rams finally found the end zone, with Terrence Ferguson catching a 27-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to make it a 24-10 game.
The Falcons were hoping to get three more points on the scoreboard after advancing on the next possession, but Jared Verse changed everything when he not only blocked Zane Gonzalez’s field goal attempt, but scooped it up and ran 76 yards the other way.
Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams warms up before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 29, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Instead of a 27-10 lead for the Falcons, they were facing a 24-17 game heading into the fourth quarter.
The Rams completed the comeback after Puka Nacua, who would have had his typical production if not for some flags denying some receptions, took an 11-yard Stafford screen to tie it at 24 apiece with 2:46 left.
There was more than enough time to rectify the blown lead and González had the opportunity from 51 yards to seal the victory. This time, there was no Verse or any defender to get through, as Gonzalez split the posts to take a three-point lead.
The Rams still had a few seconds left to do something, and it almost looked like they were going to have a shot after Nacua somehow caught a pass with one hand and went out of bounds in field goal range. But upon closer inspection, the ball moved while he was trying to secure it and was already out of bounds.
The pass was ruled incomplete and the Rams were unable to get the points needed to win.
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On the scoreboard, Robinson’s day was great with 195 yards on 22 carries, as well as five receptions for 34 yards and two touchdowns. Cousins was just 13 of 20 for 126 yards with his touchdown to Robinson, who really carried the offense in the victory.
For the Rams, Stafford was 22 of 38 for 269 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions, while Smith led the team with 67 receiving yards. The Falcons defense limited Nacua to just 47 yards on five receptions despite 10 targets.
