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Sarah Barshop
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Marc Raimondi
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Marc Raimondi
ESPN Staff Writer
- Marc Raimondi’s first year covering the Falcons was 2024, but it wasn’t his first year at ESPN. He joined the company in 2019 and was a top combat sports reporter. He also covered professional wrestling and wrote the book “Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Pro Wrestling’s New World Order Changed America,” which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2025. Raimondi also worked for the New York Post and Newsday, beginning in 2009, covering high school and college sports, plus the NFL, NFL, MLB and NHL.
Robinson had the best performance of his career with 229 total yards and two touchdowns
ATLANTA — It was the perfect summary of the Falcons’ 2025 season
The team showed flashes of brilliance. Running back Bijan Robinson was spectacular. The defense made key plays.
Still, it almost didn’t matter. The Falcons blew a three-touchdown halftime lead but cruised to a 27-24 victory over the Rams on Monday Night Football at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. A 50-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez with 21 seconds remaining gave them the lead for good.
Atlanta improves to 7-9 and has won three straight and four of the last five.
Robinson had the best performance of his career with 229 total yards and two touchdowns, one on the ground for 93 yards, a Falcons franchise record, and another through the air. Xavier Watts, the rookie safety, intercepted two passes. Safety Jessie Bates III scored a touchdown after an interception.
Special teams were once again a major issue for Atlanta. A Gonzalez field goal attempt was blocked in the third quarter by Jared Verse and returned for a touchdown, which could have been a turning point. The defense couldn’t stop the opponent in key moments, and the offense faltered in the second half, blowing a 21-0 halftime lead.
But quarterback Kirk Cousins and Robinson led the Falcons on a fourth-quarter drive that got them into field goal position, and Gonzalez did the rest.
The biggest weakness of the game plan: Special teams has been the Falcons’ biggest weakness this season, from coverage to kicker. On Monday, the game came full circle with a Gonzalez field goal attempt that was blocked by Verse and returned for a touchdown. It was the second blocked field goal against the Falcons in four weeks.
Key information: Robinson has the third-most total yards in a season (2,255) over the last 10 seasons, behind only Christian McCaffrey in 2019 and Saquon Barkley in 2024. He is also the most in total yards in Falcons history, surpassing William Andrews. Robinson also had a career-high 195 rushing yards.
Trend to follow: Watts had two interceptions, giving him five total on the season, the most by a Falcons rookie since Deion Sanders in 1989. Bates III also intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has said he believes they are the best safety duo in the NFL. — Marc Raimondi
Next party: contra New Orleans Saints (domingo)
Given to destacar: Stafford threw the 32nd interception leading to a touchdown of his career when his pass in the second quarter was intercepted by Bates, who returned it to the end zone. According to ESPN Research, this interception tied Stafford with Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre for the all-time record for most interceptions returned for a touchdown.
Biggest problem in the game plan: Stop Robinson. After allowing 171 rushing yards to the Seahawks last week, the Rams continued to have trouble stopping the running game. Robinson gave Atlanta its biggest lead of the night — putting the Falcons up 21-0 — with a 93-yard rushing touchdown just before halftime. Robinson finished with 195 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
Most surprising performance: This was only the second time in 148 regular-season games under coach Sean McVay that the Rams went scoreless in the first half, according to ESPN Research. — Sarah Barshop
Next party: against the Arizona Cardinals (Sunday)
