The NFL can now flex out Monday Night Football games from Weeks 12-17, so I'm a bit surprised the MNF finale tonight for the regular season wasn't, as it appears to be a mismatch and not a ton of motivation with the playoff-bound Los Angeles Rams (11-4) visiting the long-eliminated Atlanta Falcons (6-9). L.A. is -7.5 with a total of 49.5 for the 8:15 ET kick on ESPN.
If the Rams weren't in this game, it probably would have been booted, as they are a TV draw. The league schedules only Saturday/Sunday games in Week 18, so all those games that are playoff-intertwined can kick off at the same time. It could be a major competitive advantage or disadvantage to have a Week 18 MNF game for the teams in it. Nowadays, there is an MNF game in the wild card round and that's the last overall.
Since about the end of Matt Ryan's heyday in 2017, when the Falcons won 10 games and made the postseason for the last time, they have been quite predictable: Finish with nine or 10 losses and make a coaching change every three years or so. This will mark an eighth straight losing season -- although the preseason Over/Under of 7.5 wins is still in play -- and it remains to be seen if coach Raheem Morris gets a third year.
A few weeks ago, that looked very unlikely and he was the heavy betting favorite to be the next coach fired, but the team has shown some signs of life. Owner Arthur Blank tends to pay attention to how a team closes the season. When Dan Quinn was the coach, he was on a major hot seat late in the 2019 campaign, but the club won its final four and he was brought back. Only to be fired midway through the 2020 season.
Arthur Smith replaced Quinn, and many thought Smith was safe late in the 2023 campaign, but then the Falcons were routed in their final two and he was fired. Instead of Bill Belichick, Blank chose Morris. If the Falcons do win here and in the finale vs. New Orleans, I'd bet Morris stays. Also, be aware that Atlanta owes its 2026 first-round pick to the Rams due to moving back into Round 1 of the 2025 draft and taking Tennessee pass-rusher James Pearce Jr., who has been excellent.
We may find out how strong a motivator Rams coach Sean McVay is after his team almost incredibly lost that wild Week 16 game in Seattle, 38-37 in overtime. That cost Los Angeles the chance to control its own destiny for the NFC West title and the conference's top seed and lone first-round bye. With both the 49ers and Seahawks winning Sunday, the Rams are eliminated from the NFC West race, so we might see healthy guys sitting out tonight.
Now McVay's club likely plays an outdoor cold-weather playoff game on Wild Card Weekend in Chicago or Philadelphia, so it may still have motivation to try and earn the No. 5 seed and a trip to Charlotte or Tampa instead. But L.A. is still the favorite to win the NFC (+270 with Seattle) and Super Bowl (+475).
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