Troy Aikman, Russell Yurk criticize officials for missed PI against Falcons on final drive

Aikman gave the officials the benefit of the doubt in real-time. He even played devil’s advocate in Atlanta’s favor in their conversation.

“I hear what you’re saying,” Aikman said, responding to Yurk’s comment about hand-fighting. “In real time, that’s a hard one to pick up, I think. … Atwell, he kind of was pushing just a tad there himself.”

Buck agreed with his colleagues. He believes Atwell was never given the opportunity to make a play on the ball before being held.

“Watch the left arm of Atwell and the grab here not giving him a chance to go up and make a catch,” Buck said. “That’s a missed call.”

The Rams would have another opportunity slip through their fingers when a deep pass intended for Puka Nacua was dropped at the last moment on the sideline. Nacua appeared to catch the ball in real time, however, replay review showed that failed to secure possession of the ball before going out of bounds.

Rams QB Matthew Stafford and company had one final heave ready for the final play of the game, but LA came up empty and fell to the Falcons 27-24. Los Angeles drops to 11-5 on the season, while Atlanta improves to 7-9.

The Rams will look to bounce back as they round out their regular season at home against the 3-13 Arizona Cardinals this Sunday. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET and will air live on FOX.

That won’t be the final game of the season, however, as LA has already qualified for the playoffs. They’re the third team from the NFC West to do so alongside the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.