NFL playoff picture: What does Rams-Falcons mean for NFC standings in Week 17

The Rams face the Falcons in Atlanta on Monday. We break down what the game means for the NFL playoff picture in Week 17.

by David Fucillo

Updated Dec 30, 2025, 4:13 AM UTC

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MNF result: The Falcons stunned the Rams to close out Week 17. The Falcons jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first half. They nearly blew the lead, but held off the Rams late en route to the 27-24 victory. The Rams dropped to 11-5 and remain in sixth place in the NFC. The Rams need a win in Week 18 over the Cardinals and a 49ers loss to the Seahawks to claim the No. 5 seed. Otherwise, they’ll remain No. 6 for the playoffs.

The Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons close out the Week 17 slate with a Monday Night Football matchup in Atlanta. The game features a Rams squad headed to the playoffs and a Falcons squad headed home after Week 18 with more questions than answers.

The playoff field has two more slots to fill, but seeding remains in question. We’ll break down where the Rams could end up in the playoff bracket based on their performance this week and next week. The Rams are a 7.5-point road favorite against the Falcons.

Los Angeles Rams playoff picture

The Rams led the NFC West for much of the season, but a loss to the Seahawks in Week 16 sent them down the board. And now that the Seahawks and 49ers both won in Week 17, LA is playing for wild card positioning and nothing more.

LA heads into Monday night with the No. 6 seed in the NFC bracket. They’ll remain in the No. 6 spot regardless of their result tonight. A win would move them into a tie with the 49ers, but San Francisco has the division record tiebreaker. A loss would drop them a game back of the 49ers, but they cannot fall behind the No. 7 seed Packers even with losses this week and next week.

If LA wins their final two games on the road against the Falcons and at home against the Cardinals, they will claim the No. 5 seed. That would mean they would travel to face the NFC South champion in the Wild Card round. They can also claim the No. 5 seed with a loss in Week 17, a win in Week 18, and a 49ers loss in Week 18.

If the Rams lose in Week 18, they would finish with the No. 6 seed. If they lose in Week 17 and the 49ers win in Week 18, they would also finish with the No. 6 seed.