Editor’s note: USA TODAY Sports also provided live updates from the Vikings vs. Bears MNF game.
It was by no means pretty, but when you’re on a skid like the Atlanta Falcons, you’ll take anything you can get.
The offense didn’t do much, and it nearly gave this one away, but Atlanta snapped a four-game losing streak with a 15-9 win over the lowly Las Vegas Raiders on “Monday Night Football.”
For more than a month, quarterback Kirk Cousins has been under scrutiny with eight interceptions and no touchdowns in Atlanta’s last four games. He finally threw for a touchdown, but he didn’t do much to stop the criticism. He tallied only 112 yards on 11-for-16 passing and threw another interception – the fifth-straight game he has turned it over.
But as much the Falcons offense struggled, Las Vegas didn’t do itself any favors. It was stuck in the mud for much of the game, and whether it was a turnover or blocked punt, the Raiders gave the Falcons good field position throughout the night, which helped Atlanta get ahead.
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The Raiders did make it interesting late with a chance to take the lead, but the offense was unable to connect on two Hail Mary attempts with 10 seconds remaining and 35 yards away from the endzone.
Now back in the win column, the Falcons stay in the hunt for the NFC South title, just one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with three weeks left in the season. On the other side, it’s now 10 straight losses for the Raiders, and they remain in the hunt for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
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The comeback falls just short as Desmond Ridder’s pass with no time left couldn’t find a receiver in the endzone as time expired. Atlanta’s Jessie Bates III intercepted the ball to seal the win after Ridder’s previous attempt at a Hail Mary was knocked down in the endzone.
Just when it looked like Las Vegas would get the ball back, a flag may have sealed this one.
On third down, Kirk Cousins’ pass got deflected, but the officials ruled the Raiders’ Robert Spillane hit the quarterback unnecessarily and called roughing the passer to extend the drive in the final minutes. The ESPN announcers debated whether the call was correct.
The Raiders eventually forced a punt and will get a chance to win it in the final minute.
Don’t count out Las Vegas just yet.
The Raiders offense has struggled nearly all game, but they put together their best drive of the night with a nine play, 68-yard drive to get their first touchdown of the night. Desmond Ridder dished it out to Ameer Abdullah for a five-yard score with just less than three minutes left.
The extra point was blocked, so it will be a six point game.
Younghoe Koo had a perfect night so far, but he missed a 42-yard field goal that would’ve extended the lead to 15 points. Las Vegas will now get the ball with a small chance to still make a comeback.
It’s just been that kind of night for the Raiders. Desmond Ridder hasn’t been able to do much against his former team, and he threw an interception with less than eight minutes left to give Atlanta another chance to score.
The lead has been extended off another Younghoe Koo kick. Atlanta had good field position once again, but the offense moved just 18 yards before falling short on a third-down play. Koo kicked a 48-yarder for his second make of the night.
There wasn’t much to compliment offensively in the third quarter with a Falcons field goal the lone score in the frame. Both sides have struggled to move the ball, and the teams combined to total just 65 yards in the third quarter.
Sincere McCormick got the start for Las Vegas, but he is out for the remainder of the game due to an ankle injury.
Atlanta took advantage of the field position from the blocked punt with a field goal from Younghoe Koo. While the Falcons would’ve preferred getting in the endzone, they settled on a 40-yard field goal to extend the lead.
Make it two blocked punts on the night for Atlanta after the special teams blocked another kick off Raiders punter AJ Cole. The Falcons tried to pick it up and run it back, but Las Vegas’ Divine Deablo picked it up and ran for some yards to put Atlanta further away from the endzone.
Kirk Cousins played clean football the entire first half, and it only took one snap for that to change in the second half.
After a solid kick return gave Atlanta good field position, Cousins tried to throw into a tight window to tight end Charlie Woerner, but the Raiders’ Robert Spillane jumped in front of the pass and hauled it in.
Kirk Cousins finally throwing a touchdown pass and the Falcons defense forcing safety is what has Atlanta heading into the locker room with a six-point lead.
While a one-score game, the Falcons have been in control for much of the first half, and could be up by much more. However, three drives stalled at midfield or in Raiders territory, making the game closer than Atlanta would like to be.
Cousins is 7-for-9 with 84 yards and a touchdown, and the Raiders’ Desmond Ridder − facing his old team − is 7-for-11 with 59 yards and 22 more on the ground. It’s been the weapons for Atlanta making the difference, with Bijan Robinson at 58 rushing yards on 10 carries and Drake London with 48 receiving yards on two catches, one of which was a touchdown.
Add two points to the scoreboard for Atlanta with the defense forcing a safety.
Atlanta punter Bradley Pinion downed the Raiders at their own three-yard line, and Las Vegas lost two yards on the first play of its drive. On the next play, the Falcons defensive line rushed right up to running back Alexander Mattison before he could reach the goal line. There was no doubt about whether he got out of the endzone on this one, and the Falcons will get the ball with a six point lead.
One half of Las Vegas’ rushing attack left the field in Sincere McCormick. The running back suffered a reported ankle injury and was seen heading to the locker room and is questionable to return.
McCormick, who got the start, had seven carries for eight yard so far on the night.
It’s no secret Younghoe Koo has struggled kicking for Atlanta this season, but his team surely didn’t help his confidence in the second quarter.
Kirk Cousins was unable to connect with Darnell Mooney on a third down play at the Las Vegas 38-yard line, and Raheem Morris sent out the field goal unit. It would have been a 55-yard attempt, but it never happened. Instead, the Falcons just stood there trying to draw the Raiders offside. It didn’t work, Atlanta took a delay of game and then punted the ball.
Las Vegas responded to Atlanta’s score with one of its own thanks to the leg of Daniel Carlson.
The Raiders put together a promising drive, with some key plays coming off the legs and arm of Desmond Ridder. The drive stalled in Falcons territory, and Carlson drilled a 52-yard field goal to get the Raiders on the scoreboard.
Atlanta made sure to take advantage of good field position the second time around with a touchdown for the first points of the game.
After a blocked punt got the Falcons to start at their own 49-yard line, Atlanta took six plays to get in the endzone, capped off by Kirk Cousins using a pump fake to drop a dime to Drake London for a 30-yard touchdown in the final minute of the first quarter.
The score was Cousins’ first touchdown pass in more than a month, with his last coming in the Week 9 win against the Cowboys.
Atlanta was given a great opportunity to put points on the board on its opening drive but it was unable to capitalize.
Starting at the Las Vegas 48-yard line, the Falcons moved up 20 yards when they faced a third down. Kirk Cousins dropped back and the Raiders pass rush got to him in no time, sacking him for 10 yards. Facing what would be a tough field goal for the struggling Younghoe Koo, Atlanta opted to punt the ball away.
What looked like a promising start for Las Vegas turned disastrous with a fumble in its own territory.
The Raiders picked up a few first downs to start the game, but their momentum was killed when a trick play didn’t work and resulted in a loss of 10 yards. Two plays later on third and long, Alexander Mattison took a run for a few yards before he fumbled it. There was a pile on the field and it was Atlanta’s Kevin King that came up with it to give the Falcons solid field position.
The Raiders and Falcons are set to kick off at 8:30 p.m. ET in in the second game of the Week 15 “Monday Night Football” doubleheader.
The Raiders-Falcons tilt will air on ESPN. Chris Fowler (play-by-play) will be flanked by Louis Riddick and Dan Orlovsky in the broadcast booth.
For cord cutters looking for a live stream for the matchup, you can turn to Fubo. Fubo carries NBC, as well as CBS, FOX, NFL Network and the ESPN family of networks, meaning you can catch NFL action through the remainder of the season.
ESPN+, the proprietary streaming service of ESPN, will also carry the game.
The Raiders defend their home turf, Allegiant Stadium, against the Falcons on Monday night.
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels the Raiders-Falcons matchup will sway:
The Falcons are favorites to defeat the Raiders, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Not interested in this game? Check out expert picks and best bets for every NFL game this week.
Odds as of Monday at 5 p.m. ET
The Falcons still have an opportunity at the NFC South, but they’re going to need every win they can get heading into the remainder of the season. Here’s how the division stacks up following Sunday’s games:
The Raiders sit in the cellar of the AFC West with a few weeks remaining in the regular season. Here’s how the division stacks up:
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➤ Best (and worst) from NFL Week 15: Lions loss opens door for Eagles, Vikings
Here’s the latest playoff picture entering the “MNF” doubleheader:
x – 1. Detroit Lions (12-2), NFC North leaders: After getting stomped by Buffalo on Sunday, they could be in a three-way tie atop the conference and deadlocked for the division lead by the time Monday night is over. Remaining schedule: at Bears, at 49ers, vs. Vikings
x – 2. Philadelphia Eagles (12-2), NFC East leaders: Winners of 10 straight, they could clinch the division by ousting the Washington Commanders in Week 16. Remaining schedule: at Commanders, vs. Cowboys, vs. Giants
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6), NFC South leaders: Regardless of what Atlanta does Monday night, the Bucs will remain atop the division for at least another week. Seattle’s loss pushed them up a spot, Tampa Bay with a better record (6-3) in conference games than the Rams (5-5). Remaining schedule: at Cowboys, vs. Panthers, vs. Saints
4. Los Angeles Rams (8-6), NFC West leaders: Win out, and they are division champs. LA overtook the Seahawks on Sunday night by virtue of their Week 9 victory at Seattle. Remaining schedule: at Jets, vs. Cardinals, vs. Seahawks
x – 5. Minnesota Vikings (11-2), wild card No. 1: They clinched a spot Sunday night thanks to Seattle’s loss. Remaining schedule: vs. Bears, at Seahawks, vs. Packers, at Lions
6. Green Bay Packers (10-4), wild card No. 2: The Pack will have to wait at least another week to clinch despite handling the Seahawks on Sunday night. Remaining schedule: vs. Saints, at Vikings, vs. Bears
7. Washington Commanders (9-5), wild card No. 3: They barely survived the Saints, but it was enough to keep them alive in the division with the NFC East still technically up for grabs. Remaining schedule: vs. Eagles, vs. Falcons, at Cowboys
8. Seattle Seahawks (8-6), in the hunt: Sunday night’s loss to Green Bay dropped them not only out of the NFC West lead but from the projected field entirely. Remaining schedule: vs. Vikings, at Bears, at Rams
9. Arizona Cardinals (7-7), in the hunt: They broke a three-game skid by beating the Patriots but, at this point, need the NFC West field to come back to them. Remaining schedule: at Panthers, at Rams, vs. 49ers
10. Atlanta Falcons (6-7), in the hunt: Their season sweep of the Bucs means they only need to pull even with Tampa Bay to reclaim the division lead, but the first-place Buccaneers are not cooperating so far. Remaining schedule: at Raiders, vs. Giants, at Commanders, vs. Panthers
The NFL playoffs kick off on Jan. 11 with the league’s Super Wild Card Weekend, before concluding Feb. 9 with Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.
Unfortunately for Raiders fans, the silver and black will be far from touching a Lombardi Trophy this year. They can, however, play spoiler in the remaining weeks of the season. Here are the teams already eliminated from NFL postseason contention:
▶ New York Giants
▶ Las Vegas Raiders
▶ New England Patriots
▶ Jacksonville Jaguars
▶ Tennessee Titans
▶ Cleveland Browns
▶ New York Jets
▶ Chicago Bears
▶ Carolina Panthers
Entering Monday Night Football, the Raiders were in line for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 draft. Here’s who would get the top-10 picks entering the “MNF” games, according to Tankathon.com:
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