Stafford, Nacua lead high-scoring offense as Rams look to improve playoff position against Falcons

Los Angeles Rams (11-4) at Atlanta (6-9)

Monday, 8:15 p.m. EST, ESPN.

Against the spread: Rams 11-4; Falcons 8-7

Series record: Rams lead 49-30-2

Last meeting: Rams beat Falcons 31-27 on Sept. 18, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif.

Last week: Rams lost at Seattle 38-37 in overtime; Falcons won 26-19 at Arizona.

Rams offense: overall (1), rush (5), pass (2), scoring (1).

Rams defense: overall (16), rush (12), pass (19), scoring (6).

Falcons offense: overall (14), rush (8), pass (17), scoring (25).

Falcons defense: overall (14), rush (25), pass (8), scoring (21)

Turnover differential: Rams plus-12; Falcons plus-1

LB Nate Landman had five tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss in the Rams’ loss to the Seahawks. Landman, who leads the team with 123 tackles and has forced four fumbles, has been a revelation for the Rams adding range and instincts at a position they have tended not to value. Landman, who played for Atlanta in 2022-24, will be important in trying to corral Falcons RB Bijan Robinson as both a runner and receiver.

Robinson leads the NFL with 131.5 scrimmage yards per game. He needs 151 scrimmage yards to break William Andrews’ team record of 2,176 set in 1983. Robinson has at least 100 combined rushing and receiving yards in 10 games this season.

Rams WR Puka Nacua will be a difficult matchup against a short-handed Falcons secondary. Atlanta CB Mike Hughes is expected to miss his second consecutive game with an ankle sprain, leaving undrafted rookie Cobee Bryant and backup C.J. Henderson to work with starter A.J. Terrell. Henderson was signed from the practice squad last week and had a game-saving interception at Arizona. Nacua leads the NFL with 114 catches for 1,592 yards and eight touchdowns.

Rams:: WR Davante Adams (hamstring) and RG Kevin Dotson (ankle) could be held out as the Rams will prioritize making sure both key players are ready for the playoffs. … S Quentin Lake (elbow) will return to practice next week and could be available for the regular-season finale against the Cardinals. … CB Roger McCreary is expected to play this week after sustaining a groin injury in his Rams’ debut Nov. 23 that led to a stint on injured reserve.

Falcons: Hughes was declared unlikely to return this week by coach Raheem Morris and is expected to miss his second consecutive game. ... WR Drake London (knee) was limited in practice. London returned against Arizona after missing four games. He briefly left the game against the Cardinals after appearing to aggravate the injury but Morris expressed confidence in London's status this week. CB Clark Phillips III (triceps, illness) was designated to return from injured reserve on Wednesday.

The Rams have won the past two regular-season games against the Falcons, scoring at least 31 points in both games. … The Falcons ended Rams coach Sean McVay’s first season with a 26-13 victory in the NFC wild-card round in January 2018. … Atlanta has won both postseason matchups in this series, which goes back to 1966.

Rams QB Matthew Stafford needs two touchdown passes in his last two games to set a single-season career high. He had 41 scoring throws in 2011 with the Detroit Lions and again in 2021 with Los Angeles. … Stafford leads the NFL with 40 TD passes with only five interceptions. ... The Rams have scored 30 points in three straight games for the first time since 2018, when they did it in four straight. … Nacua had a career-high 225 yards receiving in the loss to the Seahawks. It was his third straight game with over 100 yards and sixth of the season. … The previous time the Rams led the league in scoring was in McVay’s first season as head coach in 2017. They have done it six times since the AFL-NFL merger. … TE Colby Parkinson has six touchdown receptions this season and needs one more to set the Rams’ single-season record at the position. … DL Kobie Turner got his first career interception against the Seahawks. Turner needs 2 1/2 sacks in his last two games to set a career high; he had nine sacks as a rookie in 2023. … Morris was the Rams defensive coordinator from 2021-23. ... Atlanta assistant coaches who previously worked on McVay's staff in Los Angeles: offensive coordinator Zac Robinson (2019-23), pass game specialist/game management Tim Berbenich (2023), offensive assistant K.J. Black (2022-23), assistant offensive line coach Nick Jones (2021-23) and director player performance John Griffin (2021-23). ... The Falcons rank second in the league with 50 sacks, five away from their team record of 55 set in 1997. ... Three of the Falcons' six wins came in prime-time games against Minnesota, Buffalo and Tampa Bay. Atlanta lost a prime-time game at San Francisco.

Falcons TE Kyle Pitts has at least six catches in four straight games, including seven for 57 yards and a touchdown last week. His 395 receiving yards in the past four games are the most by a tight end in a four-game span in franchise history. Pitts has set career highs with 80 catches and five touchdown receptions this season and has been especially effective with Kirk Cousins at quarterback.

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