Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams came painfully close to pulling off what would’ve been an impeccable Monday Night Football comeback. But in the end, one thing stood in the way. After erasing a 21-point deficit, the Rams clawed their way back to tie the game at 24–24. However, once the Atlanta Falcons regained the lead at 27–24, Stafford was left with less than 21 seconds to either steal the game outright or at least force overtime, a final drive that would end not with a heroic play, but with a controversial non-call that had the broadcast booth crying foul.

Stafford took four shots downfield, trying to push Los Angeles into field-goal range. On second down, he dropped a perfectly placed pass to Tutu Atwell. But Atwell couldn’t bring it in. It was not entirely because of poor execution.

Falcons cornerback Dee Alford appeared to restrain Atwell’s left arm as the ball arrived. But no flag came out. The decision immediately drew confusion, including from the broadcast booth.

“They missed a pass interference,” Joe Buck said as the replay rolled, making the contact impossible to ignore.

Moments later, rules analyst Russell Yurk echoed the same sentiment, breaking it down frame by frame.

“I agree with you. He goes up kind of with one arm. He’s holding that arm down. I think that’s pass interference. That first arm it’s hand-fighting, but the second time he holds that left arm down right when he’s trying to make the catch, that’s a pass interference.”

Had the officials made the call, the Rams would’ve been awarded a first-and-goal inside the one-yard line. And in a situation like that, everything opens up: Play for the win, or at the very least, set up a chip-shot field goal to send the game to overtime. Instead, the moment passed. And so did the opportunity.

Still, Matthew Stafford wasn’t done, as the 37-year-old attempted one last time to secure an exceptional comeback win on Monday Night.

Matthew Stafford found Puka Nacua near the sidelines, but all was in vain

Following the missed pass interference by the refs, Matthew Stafford and the Rams had one last chance to either win the game or force overtime. On the very next play, the quarterback took the last shot, targeting Puka Nacua near the sideline. For a split second, it looked like the wideout had pulled off a jaw-dropping, one-handed grab. The stadium buzzed. The moment felt real.

But it didn’t last.

The pass was ruled incomplete, and after review, the call stood.

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Replays showed Nacua didn’t quite maintain control as he went out of bounds. And almost instantly, the play set the NFL world on fire.

Some believed the ball moved just enough to warrant an incompletion. Others couldn’t wrap their heads around how that wasn’t a catch. That frustration spilled onto social media, too.

Former Rams receiver Odell Beckham Jr. took to X moments after the ruling and wrote, “OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MYYYYYY🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥….. HOW IS THIS NO CATCH!?!??”

Just like that, the comeback fell short. Despite rallying from a three-touchdown hole, the Rams walked away with a 27–24 loss, dropping to 11–5 with one week left in the regular season. And when it was all said and done, the conversation circled back to the same place it started. Courtesy about the controversy? Once again, a missed pass interference from the refs.