ATLANTA — Weird stuff.
One team is headed to the NFC playoffs, led by a quarterback who might bag the first NFL MVP award of his career.
The other team was eliminated from the playoff race a couple of weeks ago, amid swirling speculation about the job security of key powerbrokers.
So, what good was that equation?
Well, when you add Falcons wonder back Bijan Robinson to the mix, anything can happen.
And it did.
Backed by Robinson’s 195-yard rushing showcase – which included a scintillating 93-yard touchdown run – the Atlanta Falcons stunned the Los Angeles Rams, 27-24, in a display of theatre that kept on giving.
The winning points came on a 51-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez with 21 seconds left. But even after that, the Rams had a chance to force overtime.
How crazy was it?
Matthew Stafford, the LA QB who might be MVP, threw three interceptions and still nearly won.
Oh, that tricky NFL. What a show.
There was a pick-six, as Falcons safety Jessie Bates III went 34 yards to the house. Rams linebacker Jared Verse one-upped that by blocking a Gonzalez field goal try late in the third quarter and returning it 76 yards for a touchdown.
There was an amazing catch by Puka Nacua (who else?) between two defenders for an apparent game-tying 41-yard TD in the fourth quarter … except it was nullified.
Then Nacua’s apparent catch in the final seconds, which might have set up a try for a field goal, was, well, confirmed as incomplete by instant replay. It appeared that his second foot lifted off the turf a split-second before he survived the ground as he landed out of bounds with the ball cradled by his left arm.
A crazy game of inches.
“One hundred percent,” Nacua agreed. “It takes every inch. It requires every ounce of effort that you’ve got.”
Robinson said that as the replay review determined whether it was a catch or not, he sat on the Falcons bench pleading to a higher power.
Prayer answered.
That the Falcons were so invested, though, provided another testimony. They have won three consecutive games since being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, determined to finish the season strong while questions persist about the direction of the franchise under coach Raheem Morris and GM Terry Fontenot.
What’s there to play for? Pride, for one thing. Jobs, for another.
“We’re in the NFL,” Robinson said. “We can’t give up on anything in this league. Number one, that’s how injuries happen. That’s how bad things happen. You lose the identity of a team. So, for us, we made it known that as soon as we got that elimination, we’re going to finish the season off the right way. Finish off strong. We’re all men.”
Robinson, who also caught five passes for 34 yards, had 229 yards from scrimmage to mark another banner night. He broke the franchise’s single-season record for yards from scrimmage that had stood for 43 years since set by William Andrews in 1983 (2,176), raising his league-leading total to 2,255.
And the record was so fitting on a night that the Falcons (7-9) started off so hot. They led 21-0…then still had to sweat the ending.
The comeback attempt, though, was no consolation for Stafford, who had his worst game of the season.
“I obviously didn’t play well enough,” he grumbled afterward. “That’s what it is.”
And it was another example of the wild-swinging games that have marked this NFL season.
The Rams (11-5) know it all too well. In Week 16, they had a 30-14 lead in the fourth quarter at Seattle, then lost 38-37 in overtime. That, after the incredible Week 15 drama that involved the Falcons, who trailed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 28-14, in the fourth quarter. And won, 29-28.
Speaking of the Bucs, Monday night’s outcome weighed heavily on their chances to claim a fifth straight NFC South crown. Even if the Bucs knock off the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, there’s the prospect of a three-way tie for the division title with three teams all finishing with 8-9 records.
And if the Bucs, Panthers and Falcons – who close against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday – wind up tied, the tiebreaker edge and division crown would go to the Panthers.
Go figure.
“Man, that sucks,” Robinson said. “But it is what it is. You never know what can happen in this league.”
Of course, with Monday night providing a fresh example, crazy things never cease to happen in the NFL.
