Falcons triumph over Rams with strong defense

Defense wins championships. In the case of the Atlanta Falcons, that will not be happening, at least not this season, but it does win games.

The Los Angeles Rams hadn’t been held scoreless during the first half of a game all season before they set foot in Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday night. The Falcons had failed to hold an opponent scoreless during the first half of any game this season before they began the game on Monday night. 

The Atlanta Falcons are at the end of the road. There’s only one remaining game on the 2025 schedule, and after Monday night’s 27-24 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, there’s a good chance to end the season on a high note. The Falcons are now on a three-game winning streak, and the defense has to be given a ton of credit for that recent run of success.

“We got some turnovers early. I thought we did a nice job of doing that as a team,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said after the game. “That was a great team win and a great team effort to be able to hold that team scoreless.”

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford had only thrown five interceptions this season before he was picked off three times on Monday night. Jessie Bates III returned a first-half interception for a touchdown, and rookie safety Xavier Watts intercepted two Stafford passes during the second quarter and the fourth quarter. Watts nearly returned the fourth-quarter interception for a touchdown, but stepped out of bounds near midfield. 

“Great night. The guys came to play tonight, and they played a good football team,” said Morris, the former defensive coordinator for the Rams during their Super Bowl season in 2022. 

A former college safety during his playing days at Hofstra University, Morris will happily hang his hat on the same rack as current Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. Atlanta’s defense is second in the league with 53 sacks (Denver is first with 64), 11th in passing yards allowed, and 14th in total yards allowed. 

During the game against the Rams, the Falcons got sacks from four different players, including Khalid Kareem, whose name was on the practice squad list as early as the beginning of the week. Leonard Floyd, Brandon Dorlus, and Ruke Orhorhoro had the other sacks. 

Watts’ five interceptions is the most for a Falcons rookie since Deion Sanders had five in 1989.

That defensive effort could be seen as a sign of what this team is capable of when healthy and focused. Or it could just be a good night in a season of bad nights. The Falcons’ defense also gave up 21 unanswered points, including a touchdown on a blocked field goal late in the third quarter. Either way, the Atlanta Falcons won their seventh game of the season.

Next up for the Falcons (7-9 overall), winners of their last three, is the New Orleans Saints (6-10), winners of their last four. Neither team is going to make the playoffs, but both are playing their final game of the season with momentum on the line. Kickoff for the Sunday, January 4 game will be 1 p.m.

Related