The Los Angeles Rams had just 21 seconds to pull off an improbable comeback Monday night, or even score a field goal and force overtime at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
But after two near-deep completions, and a third that probably should have resulted in a pass interference penalty, the The Atlanta Falcons escaped with a 27-24 victory over the Rams Monday.
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The Falcons, who held a 21-0 lead earlier in the evening, took the lead with just 21 seconds left after Zane Gonzales made a 51-yard field goal. That gave Matthew Stafford 21 seconds to try to extend or win the game.
Remarkably, he came close to achieving this three times.
On first down, Stafford missed a wide open Xavier Smith. No one was around Smith on first down, and he had a clear path to the end zone. At worst, Smith could have gone out of bounds to set up an easy basket.
Stafford’s throw on second down was by far the most controversial. He threw a deep one to Tutu Atwell on the left side of the field, but the pass was broken up by defensive back Dee Alford.
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A closer look at the play showed that Alford was clearly holding Atwell’s arm as he attempted to grab the ball. ESPN announcer Joe Buck and rules analyst Russell Yurk thought it should have been a pass interference penalty.
Had it been called, the Rams would have placed the ball inside the Falcons 15-yard line.
Then came third, where Puka Nacua almost made what would have easily been the league-wide catch of the year.
Stafford threw one to Nacua deep down the right side, but Nacua had to jump and try to bring it back before going out of bounds. Somehow, Nacua seemed to grab a hand and lower both feet in time to accomplish this. But upon closer inspection, it was clear that Nacua had bounced the ball on the way down to the ground.
By then, the Rams were almost out of time. They also failed to find the end zone on fourth down, which sealed the Falcons’ three-point victory.
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Stafford completed 22 of 38 passes for 269 yards with two touchdowns in the Rams’ loss. He also threw three interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown in the second quarter. Kyren Williams had 92 yards on 13 carries and Smith had 67 yards on four catches.
The Rams clinched a playoff spot, but likely look to the No. 6 seed in the NFC after the loss. They need to defeat the Arizona Cardinals in Week 18 and have the Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers to move into fifth place.
Kirk Cousins completed 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown in the win for the Falcons, who have already been eliminated from the playoffs. Bijan Robinson rushed for 195 yards and a score on 22 carries. The Falcons have won three in a row and have a chance to hand the NFC South title to the Carolina Panthers via a three-way tiebreaker if they can beat the New Orleans Saints next weekend.
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While it wouldn’t be fair to blame the Rams for the loss on that final drive — they went into the locker room at halftime down three touchdowns, after all — being so close to pulling off such a victory doesn’t make things any easier.
