ATLANTA — The Rams already knew they will be on the road for the playoffs, a difficult assignment for any team.
It’s trending toward becoming one especially tough for the Rams, who only a few weeks ago appeared to be the class of the NFC, if not the NFL.
Not anymore.
On Monday night, the Rams for much of their game against the Atlanta Falcons, looked like a team on the road to nowhere. Or one more interested in limping through the end of the regular season before turning it on for the playoffs.
They overcame a 21-point deficit to tie the score, but Zane Gonzalez’s 51-yard field goal with 21 seconds left sent the Rams to a 27-24 defeat at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
It was the Rams’ second loss in a row, both coming on the road.
It dropped their record to 11-5 going into Sunday’s regular season finale against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium.
On Saturday, the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers will play for the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
The Rams are seeded No. 6 in the NFC. If the Seahawks defeat the 49ers, and the Rams beat the Cardinals, the Rams could move up to No. 5.
But it might not matter if the Rams don’t start playing better on the road.
Four of their five losses — to Philadelphia, Carolina, Seattle and Atlanta — came on the road.
Only a few weeks ago, the Rams were atop the NFC. They looked like the best team in the NFL.
But that was before they lost 38-37 in overtime in Seattle. The Rams have lost consecutive road games for the first time since the start of the 2024 season when they lost their opener in overtime at Detroit and then got routed at Arizona.
Rams quarterback Stafford moved past Ben Roethlisberger into sixth place on the NFL’s all-time passing yardage list, but there was not much to be happy about on a night that had set up a possible MVP-clinching stage.
Stafford completed 22 of 38 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns but had three passes intercepted, including one that was returned for a touchdown.
The first half was a nightmare for Stafford, who went into the game with a league-leading 40 touchdown passes and only five interceptions.
After the Falcons stuffed Kyren Williams on fourth and one at the Falcons’ 11-yard line in the first quarter, Jessie Bates III returned an interception for a touchdown in the second. Xavier Watts also picked off a pass.
The Falcons sacked Stafford on the final play of the first half and the Rams went to the locker room down 21-0.
On the first play of the second half, the Falcons sacked Stafford again.
But Harrison Mevis kicked a field goal early in the third quarter, and the Rams pulled to within 14 points on Stafford’s 27-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson with about five minutes left in the quarter.
Then, with less than a minute left in the quarter, Jared Verse blocked a field-goal attempt and returned the ball 76 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 24-17.
The Rams’ chances for a comeback appeared to end when Watts intercepted another pass with just more than nine minutes left.
But the Rams got the ball back and Stafford connected with Puka Nacua for an apparent 41-yard touchdown. But the play was nullified by a holding penalty.
Williams made several key plays to set up Stafford’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Nacua that tied the score with 2:46 left.
Gonzalez’s field goal put the Falcons ahead by three.
Stafford got the ball one last time, but he missed Xavier Smith on a route, and Tutu Atwell and Nacua could not come up with deep passes. With five seconds left, Stafford’s pass to Nacua fell incomplete.
Bijan Robinson rushed for 195 yards and a touchdown in 22 carries and also caught a touchdown pass for the Falcons (7-9).
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