NFL Monday Night Football Picks & Player Props: Rams vs. Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons host the Los Angeles Rams to close out Week 17. Here, you’ll find my top NFL Monday Night Football picks & player props. This will be the first time that Falcons head coach Raheem Morris will face off against the Rams, the team he was the defensive coordinator for before becoming the Falcons’ head coach.
The Falcons are coming off a win over the Arizona Cardinals, while the Rams lost thrillingly to the Seattle Seahawks in overtime on Thursday Night Football. This is a meaningless game for the Falcons, who have been eliminated from postseason contention. As for the Rams, a win in this game, a win next week against the Cardinals and a Seahawks loss to the San Francisco 49ers would lock up the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Below are the three best bets for this game.
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Week 17’s Best NFL Monday Night Football Picks & Player Props: Rams vs. Falcons
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Falcons +7 (-129)
I’m picking the Rams to win, but the Falcons will make this more interesting than expected. The Rams are excellent at getting to the quarterback, ranking third heading into Week 17 with 241 pressures. However, the Falcons’ offensive line has held up well against them, ranking inside the bottom six in pressures allowed heading into this slate of action.
Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has been playing a lot better recently, throwing for 570 yards, five touchdowns and one interception over the last two games. Cousins also gets the ball out quickly, with an average time to throw of 2.57 seconds. His quickness and 72% completion rate when kept clean in the pocket will allow the Falcons to hang around.
Puka Nacua Anytime Touchdown Scorer (-165)
Rams wide receiver Davante Adams will be out once again, leaving Puka Nacua in a prime spot to rack up a bunch of production. In Week 16, he had 225 yards and two scores. While I don’t expect that again, I do expect at least one touchdown against a team that’s allowed 1.20 touchdowns per game to wide receivers.
The Rams looked to other receivers in Week 16, such as Konata Mumpfield, but Nacua will be the top target for quarterback Matthew Stafford as he pushes to keep them in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and as Stafford seeks an MVP award.
Bijan Robinson Over 4.5 Receptions (-130)
While Cousins has been red-hot over the last two weeks, his top receiver has been running back Bijan Robinson. He leads the team in target share at 29.3%, catching 15 passes on 22 targets for 174 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The Rams defense does allow 6.4 targets (third), 4.8 receptions (tied for eighth) and 36.8 receiving yards per game (eighth) to opposing running backs. Robinson will continue to be a top target for Cousins as an extension of the run game.