Los Angeles Rams v Seattle Seahawks
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In the final game of Week 17, the Atlanta Falcons host the Los Angeles Rams in the final edition of "Monday Night Football" for the 2025 season. The playoff picture got much more clear after Sunday's games, but there's still some positioning and division titles on the line.

Atlanta has won two in a row with Kirk Cousins under center, improving to 6-9 in the process. The Falcons are playing out the string of their season for draft positioning, but they have a chance to throw a wrench into the Rams' plans by coming away with another win here.

Los Angeles is coming off a wild, come-from-ahead loss to the division rival Seahawks last week, having undermined its own chances to land the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Rams piled up 581 yards of offense and didn't turn the ball over, but their defense let up down the stretch despite having forced three turnovers early on.

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Tyler Sullivan
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Will the Rams bounce back from their loss a week ago, or will the Falcons make it three straight victories? We'll find out soon enough. Before we detail some key storylines, here's a look at how you can watch the game. 

Where to watch Falcons vs. Rams

  • Date: Monday, Dec. 29 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
  • Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
  • TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free) 
  • Follow: CBS Sports App
  • Odds: Rams -7, O/U 49.5 via DraftKings Sportsbook

Key Storylines

  • L.A.'s playoff hopes. The Rams can no longer win the NFC West thanks to the Seahawks' and 49ers' wins on Sunday. The winner of the Seattle-San Francisco game next week is now going to be the top seed in the conference. That means L.A. is playing to maintain its position and climb as high as the No. 5 seed in the NFC and retain the right to go on the road and play against the NFC South champion, rather than having to go play against the Chicago Bears or Philadelphia Eagles in the first round. If the Rams win this week and next, they'll be the 5-seed regardless of what happens elsewhere.
  • Matthew Stafford's MVP chase. Despite Drake Maye's five-touchdown game against the Jets on Sunday, Stafford remains the heavy favorite to win the Most Valuable Player trophy. According to DraftKings, Stafford is a -225 favorite, giving him an implied 69.2% probability to win. But that can obviously change very quickly if he doesn't put up a representative performance against the Falcons on Monday night. Stafford still leads the league in touchdown passes with 40 and has thrown only five interceptions while passing for over 4,100 yards, but it'll be interesting to see how the voters feel about handing the award to a player whose team might get a wild card slot rather than winning its own division -- especially if he doesn't finish the season with a bang. He has an opportunity to do the latter here, though.
  • Kirk Cousins trying to extend his career. Cousins' first few appearances of this season did not inspire much confidence that he could land another job if and when the Falcons decide to cut ties with him due to his monster cap hit for next season. But he's done better over the past couple of weeks (512 of 79 for 570 yards, five touchdowns and an interception) and if he keeps it going against the Rams and Saints this week and next, maybe he could play himself into being a bridge quarterback option for somebody next offseason.

Prediction

Atlanta has won back-to-back games after dropping seven of eight ... but those games came against the Buccaneers and Cardinals. The Rams, to put it plainly, are not the Bucs and Cardinals. Even without Davante Adams, I expect them to be able to move the ball with relative ease against a Falcons defense that has regressed badly since the beginning of the season. The Rams rank 10th in the NFL in yards allowed per carry and should be able to contain Bijan Robinson from going completely ballistic, and if they can get pressure on Kirk Cousins, I just don't see a way that Atlanta can keep up. 

Prediction: Rams 26, Falcons 17