NFL officials fleeced Rams once again in Monday Night Football white-knuckler

The 11-5 Los Angeles Rams are heading to the playoffs. But this team is bringing some baggage. One of the areas that will plague the team is suspect officiating. While fans and NFL analysts know that suspect calls have plagued this team all season, wide receiver Puka Nacua made a huge mistake by embarrassing the NFL by calling out bad officiating.

And now the team is reaping the rewards of that mistake.

Los Angeles faced a second down and 10 yards to go with 16 seconds on the clock. The pass fell to the ground, but cameras caught a Falcons defender holding wide receiver Tutu Atwell's arm, preventing him from making the catch. That is the very definition of pass interference, but no flag flew.

It wasn't the first time that NFL officials have cost Los Angeles some games this year. But fans understand that refs can only be in a position to make a difference if the game is close. This one was never supposed to be this close.

Rams lose twice on Monday Night Football

The loss to the Falcons hurts twice. LA's loss not only means that they will almost certainly end the season as the sixth seed, but a Falcons win lessens the value of the Falcons' first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Right now, the Falcons' Round 1 pick is projected as the 12th overall pick, and the Rams' Round 1 pick is projected as the 24th overall pick.

Los Angeles has been screwed by refs before. NFL officials helped the Philadelphia Eagles to victory in Week 3. Subsequent evidence revealed that refs had a significant hand in the outcome of that game. And the refs were active in handing LA another loss against the San Francisco 49ers.

It became so commonplace that the matter was no longer newsworthy.

But if you think NFL officiating is objective, consider this. On both touchdown receptions in Week 17 by Puka Nacua, left tackle DJ Humphries was penalized. Both touchdowns were wiped off the board. And that is why NFL players should never publicly call out bad officiating on social media.

Perhaps Puka has learned his lesson. Perhaps not. But the entire team is paying the price now.

As always, thanks for reading.