ATLANTA – A field goal would have given the Falcons a three-possession lead with under 16 minutes remaining. Rams outside linebacker Jared Verse had other plans.

After the snap, Verse split two blockers and leapt in the air with both arms raised. He blocked the kick and found the ball back in his hands within a single second, after which he took off down the field for a 76-yard return touchdown. On his way to pay dirt, the second-year star gave a peace sign to the Atlanta sideline, knowing that nobody would catch him.

The Rams' first blocked field goal returned for a touchdown since 1986 facilitated a vital 10-point swing that got Los Angeles back in the game. At 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, Verse hit 20.21 miles per hour. That's the fastest ball-carrier speed by a defender weighing 260-plus pounds in the Next Gen Stats Era (since 2016).

"We had to make a play," Verse said. "I was like, 'Alright, let me do it.'"

That momentum shift led Los Angeles to tie it up with less than three minutes remaining, but a game-winning field goal in the final minute by Atlanta cemented a 27-24 Rams loss on Monday Night Football. Still, Verse's impact play gave the Rams a chance.

According to Next Gen Stats, it raised the Rams' win probability from 7% to 22%.

"I thought the blocked kick with the touchdown, those are the types of plays you have to make to get yourself back in the game," said head coach Sean McVay. "We did that. We were able to get back and tie it."

But there was still over two minutes on the clock for the Falcons to take the lead. And when the Rams got the ball back with 21 seconds left on the clock, they had no timeouts remaining.

"And then we got to get a stop," McVay said. "And then we got to be able to make the plays that we're capable of making when we do get the ball back to even give ourselves a chance to be able to tie it up because there were some opportunities to do that. But it was too many things to overcome. We put ourselves behind the eight ball and that's why we're sitting here with the L."

Right before the blocked kick, it was Verse along with inside linebacker Nate Landman who made a crucial tackle for loss against Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier on 3rd-and-2 to set up the field goal try.

Then, on the return, Verse outpaced his own top speed as a ball carrier (19.88 miles per hour), which he set in last year's wild card round on a fumble returned for a touchdown against the Vikings. However, it's not his top speed overall in the NFL. Last season, Verse surpassed 21 miles per hour twice trying to chase down Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, once in Week 12 and again in the divisional round.

Verse's speed is truly incredible for a player of his size and strength, and last night's return put that on display for the entire football world.