Zane Gonzalez kicked a winning 51-yard field goal as the Atlanta Falcons held off a Los Angeles Rams comeback to score a 27-24 victory in the NFL on Tuesday (AEDT).
And the shock result means a wild Week 18 clinching scenario remains within the realms of possibility.
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The Rams, who have already clinched a playoff berth, had gone into Tuesday’s game in Atlanta hoping for a win to boost their postseason seeding.
But the 2022 Super Bowl champions found themselves chasing the game as already-eliminated Atlanta roared into a commanding half-time lead.
Running back Bijan Robinson stood out for Atlanta in a dominant first-half display, rushing for a career-long 93-yard touchdown to give the Falcons a hefty 21-0 advantage at the break.
Robinson had already opened the scoring after gathering a short pass from Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins in the first quarter to put Atlanta 7-0 up.
Jessie Bates then picked off Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford for a second quarter touchdown to help Atlanta take a 14-0 lead before Robinson’s long-range effort left the Falcons in complete control.
Yet the Rams responded to a disastrous first two quarters to level the game in the second half.
Stafford found Terrance Ferguson with a 27-yard pass to help cut the Falcons’ lead to 14 points before Jared Verse rumbled 76 yards for a touchdown after a blocked Gonzalez field goal attempt.
Stafford connected with receiver Puka Nacua to tie it at 24-24 with just under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but Atlanta responded by moving Gonzalez into field goal range after the restart.
Gonzalez made no mistake with his game-winning effort, and the Falcons held on as Los Angeles fell to 11-5.
And the result has had a huge impact on the fate of the NFC South, with the 8-8 Carolina Panthers now able to clinch the division title regardless of their crunch meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7-9, in Week 18.
Initially, with the Rams expected to take care of business against the Falcons, it was thought the winner of Panthers-Bucs next week would clinch the NFC South.
However, with Atlanta beating the Rams, Carolina could still advance with a Week 18 loss to the Bucs and a Falcons win over the Saints — creating a three-way tie at 8-9 — based on head-to-head results among the three clubs.
That’s because Carolina would have a combined 3-1 season record against Tampa Bay and Atlanta, while the Bucs would be 2-2 and the Falcons 1-3.
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