The Las Vegas Raiders will take on the Atlanta Falcons at home on Monday Night Football, hoping to snap a nine-game losing streak.
This is the first time the Raiders will face the Falcons since November 2020. Coach Antonio Pierce hopes his team can have a different result than Jon Gruden’s team did four years ago.
The game was close for the first quarter, but the Falcons turned it on after that and took control. The Raiders were unable to get into the end zone, and the Falcons took home a 43-6 victory.
The game started with a Josh Jacobs run on fourth down that did not get back to the line of scrimmage. The Raiders turned it over on downs on their first drive, a sign of things to come.
The Falcons tacked on a field goal to make it 3-0. On the ensuing Las Vegas drive, Atlanta linebacker Foye Oluokun swiped at Derek Carr’s arm, and he lost the ball. The Falcons took the ball back and got another field goal.
There were a few good moments for the Raiders early in this game. Jonathan Abram intercepted Matt Ryan off a deflection, which led to a 36-yard highlight catch from Henry Ruggs III.
Daniel Carlson kicked a field goal to make it 6-3, but that’s when the wheels started to fall off for the Raiders. The Falcons drove down the field, and a penalty allowed them to keep their drive going, resulting in a Calvin Ridley touchdown to make it 13-3.
Right before the half, Carr was sacked and lost another fumble. That stopped them from having a chance to narrow the gap before halftime.
The second half was all Atlanta. On the Raiders’ second drive of the half, Carr was hit as he threw, and Atlanta linebacker Deion Jones picked it off and ran it back for a touchdown. The Raiders added a field goal to make it 23-6, but Ryan threw a touchdown to Brandon Powell to extend the Falcons’ lead.
The game ended 43-6, with the Falcons' dominant performance over a Raiders team that was playing well at the time.
Pierce and the Raiders want to avoid falling to 2-12, so they hope they can force turnovers on Kirk Cousins and find the end zone. Can they extend the Falcons’ current losing streak to five?
