Atlanta Falcons survive Raiders’ comeback bid, keep playoff hopes alive with ugly win: Key takeaways.

The Atlanta Falcons can breathe a sigh of relief after snapping a four-game skid and picking up a much-needed 15-9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday to remain in postseason contention.

Bijan Robinson, who gained 125 of the Falcons’ 168 rushing yards, provided much of the offensive spark, while Kirk Cousins threw a first-half touchdown pass to Drake London to snap the quarterback’s touchdown drought that spanned his team’s last four losses. Cousins was still spotty, however, extending his streak of games with an interception to five (he’s totaled nine over that period).

Atlanta’s defense and special teams can be especially credited with the win as Las Vegas struggled to find life through most of the game with Desmond Ridder under center against his former team. The Raiders offense largely didn’t look like a threat until their final drive — when Ridder heaved two long balls into the end zone in an attempt to give Las Vegas a go-ahead score. However, the Falcons sealed the game when Jessie Bates III caught the final toss.

The loss marks Las Vegas’ 10th straight and sends the team to 2-12 in a lost season as the franchise looks ahead to 2025. The Falcons improved to 7-7 and remain second in the NFC South behind the 8-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Robinson shines as Cousins’ slump continues.

The Falcons offense was uninspiring, but at least there’s Robinson. The Falcons’ second-year back surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the first time in his career. The No. 8 pick in the 2023 draft now has 1,102 yards for the season, which ranks fifth in the league. Robinson is also fifth in the league in offensive touches with 288 combined carries and receptions. His 1,513 yards from scrimmage rank third in the league.

Meanwhile, Cousins threw his first touchdown pass since Week 9 but didn’t do much else to make anyone think he’s out of his slump. Cousins finished 11-of-17 passing for 112 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and a 78.6 quarterback rating.

Falcons defense had Ridder’s number.

Coach Raheem Morris was blunt in his assessment of Ridder’s ability after trading the QB to Arizona in March for wide receiver Rondale Moore. The Falcons were equally disdainful of Ridder with Monday night’s game plan.

Atlanta played mostly five-man defensive fronts, a break from its usual alignments, and packed the defensive box to guard against the run, daring Ridder to throw the ball. It worked despite a late rally by Las Vegas. Ridder finished 23-of-39 for 208 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a 60.6 quarterback rating. The Raiders had 249 total yards, averaging 3.8 yards per play. Still, Las Vegas stayed alive until the end, and Ridder threw a Hail Mary that Bates intercepted in the end zone on the final play.

The Falcons drafted Ridder in the third round in 2022 and started 17 games under former coach Arthur Smith. They were 8-9 in those games, and Smith eventually benched Ridder late in the 2023 season in favor of Taylor Heinicke.

Atlanta’s special teams key in close game

The Falcons’ special teams have been a net negative this year, mostly due to missed field goals. They are 29th in the league in expected points added in special teams (minus 25.58), but Monday was a good day.

KhaDarel Hodge blocked one punt and tipped another, and Kevin King blocked an extra-point attempt. On top of that, Bradley Pinion pinned Las Vegas inside its 10-yard line three times to start drives. One of those resulted in safety as Zach Harrison tackled Raiders running back Alexander Mattison in the end zone in the second quarter.

Ugly night for Las Vegas

The Raiders knew they would have trouble moving the ball Monday night, as they were down to their third quarterback, Ridder, whom they signed off the Arizona Cardinals practice squad. The Falcons stacked the line of scrimmage to shut down running back Sincere McCormick before he left the game with an ankle injury.

But the surprising part of the loss was that the Raiders’ special teams were awful. AJ Cole had two punts blocked, though one technically doesn’t count as a block because the ball went forward. The Falcons also blocked an extra point in the fourth quarter.

Ameer Abdullah had a fair catch at the 3-yard line, which set up a safety because the Raiders handed the ball off out of shotgun on back-to-back plays. Daniel Carlson nailed a 52-yard field goal in the second quarter to prevent a shutout.