Reason Why Rams Are on Upset Alert in Week 17

The Los Angeles Rams will play the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17. Here is why the Falcons will play with extra motivation to beat a great team like the Rams.

Dec 18, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay speaks in a press conference after a game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams will have their hands full with an Atlanta Falcons team that will be looking to do whatever they can to pull off the upset against the Rams.

These Falcons have been playing good football over the last few games, and it is not a surprise to anyone because they have a good team. The Falcons are coming to Los Angeles with one thing in mind, and that is getting one of the biggest upsets of the NFL season. The Rams will look to end all that talk and do it earlier on.

The Rams will have to come out and be at their best and make sure they fix all the things that went wrong in their previous game. These Rams coaches do a great job of doing that, and it could be another showing of why this Rams team does a great job following a loss.

But they know it is not going to come easy, and they are going to have to go into this game with a great game plan and execute against the Falcons if they want to find themselves coming out on top.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay smiles after a touchdown by wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) against the Arizona Cardinals in the second half at State Farm Stadium on Dec 7, 2025, in Glendale, Ariz. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Falcons Look for Major Upset

On the other hand, the Falcons will be playing with a little bit more motivation against the Rams. If we go back to the 2025 NFL Draft, these two teams made a trade that let the Falcons move up in the 2025 NFL Draft in the 1st round. In return, the Rams got the Falcons' first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Right now, the Rams would be picking with the No. 11 overall pick in the draft next year. The Falcons want to win this game and push that pick back a few more spots.

Whether they say it or not, that is going to be something that they will discuss. With a loss, the Falcons would give the Rams a better pick that could turn into a top 10 pick in the draft. That is not the place the Falcons thought they would be in at this point of the season, but here they are going into Week 17 of the season.

Dec 18, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws a pass against the Seattle Seahawks in overtime at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

For the Rams, there will probably not be talk about that on their side, but in the front office, they know what is going on. The Rams are going into this game looking to get back on track and get a much-needed win. The Rams are thinking about bigger things than what they have in the draft.

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