Los Angeles Rams (11-4) at Atlanta (6-9)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. EST, ESPN.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Rams by 8.
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.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) scores a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua runs for a touchdown during overtime in an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Houston (10-5) at Los Angeles Chargers (11-4)
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EST, NFL Network
BetMGM NFL Odds: Chargers by 2
Against the spread: Texans 8-7, Chargers 9-6
Series record: Chargers lead 6-4.
Last meeting: Texans beat Chargers 32-12 in NFC wild-card game in Houston on Jan. 11.
Last week: Texans beat Raiders 23-21; Chargers beat Cowboys 34-17.
Texans offense: overall (19), rush (23), pass (16), scoring (19).
Texans defense: overall (1), rush (4), pass (4), scoring (1).
Chargers offense: overall (11), rush (6), pass (13), scoring (T-16).
Chargers defense: overall (3), rush (T-10), pass (6), scoring (8).
Turnover differential: Texans plus-15; Chargers plus-3.
CB Derek Stingley Jr. was selected as the AFC Defensive Player of the Week after returning an interception for his first career touchdown against the Raiders. He also forced a fumble and had a pass defensed in the win. The All-Pro is tied for the team lead with four interceptions and is the only player in the NFL to have at least four interceptions in each of the past three seasons. With Sunday’s performance, he became the first player in franchise history to have a forced fumble and an interception return for a touchdown in a game.
RB Omarion Hampton had 85 yards rushing and a touchdown on 16 carries against the Cowboys, his most productive showing in three games since returning from a broken ankle. The rookie first-round pick from North Carolina has 516 yards on the ground and four total touchdowns in eight games. The Chargers will need to maintain offensive balance against the outstanding Texans defense.
Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. vs. Chargers' offensive line. Improved pass protection kept QB Justin Herbert from being sacked in Dallas, which in turn allowed the offense to have one of its best performances of the season. However, the difference in quality between the Cowboys’ pass rush and what Anderson and company will bring is stark. Anderson has a career-high 11 1/2 sacks, and his 17 tackles for loss have been just as important in creating obvious passing downs. He has a tackle for loss in 10 of the past 11 games and all seven road games this season.
Texans: RB Woody Marks and LB Azeez Al-Shaair are set to return after missing last week’s game with injuries. … LT Aireontae Ersery is listed as questionable and could miss the game with a thumb injury. … RT Trent Brown (ankle/knee) will not play.
Chargers: LT Jamaree Salyer (hamstring), return specialist Derius Davis (ankle), CB Benjamin St-Juste (shoulder) and rookie S R.J. Mickens (shoulder) have all been ruled out. … DL Teair Tart (groin) and RG Mekhi Becton (knee) are questionable. The Chargers estimated Becton would have been a full participant if they had practiced Thursday, which bodes better for his availability.
The Chargers won the most recent meeting in the regular season, leaving Houston with a 34-24 triumph on Oct. 2, 2022. … The Texans are facing the Chargers at SoFi Stadium for the first time. They came up with a 27-20 victory in September 2019 in their only other trip to Los Angeles since the Chargers left San Diego in 2017.
The Texans can clinch a playoff berth with a win or tie, or a loss or tie by the Colts. … Houston’s seven-game winning streak is the longest active streak in the NFL and tied for the second longest in franchise history behind a nine-game winning streak in 2018. … DeMeco Ryans is the first head coach in franchise history to win 10 games in three consecutive seasons. … Houston’s defense leads the NFL in yards (272.3) and points (16.6) allowed. … QB C.J. Stroud has had at least 200 yards passing in five straight road games. … RB Nick Chubb had 42 yards of offense last week and had 170 yards of offense and a touchdown in his only career game against the Chargers in 2021 while with Cleveland. … WR Nico Collins had 59 yards receiving last week for his eighth straight game with at least 55 yards receiving. He had seven catches for 122 yards and a touchdown in a playoff win over the Chargers last season. … The Chargers have won 11 games in consecutive seasons for the third time in franchise history (1979-80, 2006-07). … Jim Harbaugh is one of eight NFL head coaches to have multiple 11-win seasons with two different organizations. … The Chargers defense has 13 takeaways (three fumbles, 10 interceptions) in its past six games after getting eight through its first nine games. … Justin Herbert threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns against the Cowboys, his third game this season with multiple touchdowns passes and no interceptions. … WR Ladd McConkey needs two receptions to pass Keenan Allen (148) for most in Chargers history through a player’s first two seasons. … OLB Tuli Tuipulotu got his 13th sack of the season versus the Cowboys. He can become the fifth player in Chargers history with 14 or more in a season (Khalil Mack, Shawne Merriman, Leslie O’Neal, Lee Williams). … S Derwin James Jr. needs one sack to become the third player in NFL history with 600 tackles, 20 sacks and 10 interceptions in his first 100 games (Roquan Smith, Karlos Dansby).
Facing two of the strongest rush defenses in the league, neither Omarion Hampton nor Woody Marks is likely to put up big numbers on the ground. Desperate fantasy owners with limited options will have to gamble that either tailback could make up for it as outlets in the passing game, as Marks was a tremendous receiver in college and Hampton has displayed good hands in his first season.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh celebrates after a touchdown by Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton (8) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) runs during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith, right, scrambles away from Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton (8) runs for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., left, returns an interception thrown by Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
