NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
A win is a win in the NFL — certainly one that snaps a four-game losing streak.
Just don’t expect Atlanta to clip this one for the highlight reel. The Falcons limped past a two-win Las Vegas Raiders team that was starting its third quarterback of the season for a 15-9 win Monday night. They failed to put the Raiders away until the final snap of the game.
They won the game with the aid of a controversial roughing the passer call that allowed the Falcons to run fourth-quarter clock. Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane drew the penalty on this contact with Kirk Cousins that granted the Falcons first-and-10 at midfield on a third-down incompletion with 2:44 remaining:
The Falcons didn’t ultimately capitalize and punted to Las Vegas with 1:50 remaining. But the Raiders failed to answer with a touchdown. Las Vegas advanced to the Atlanta 35-yard line on its final drive before the Raiders’ last-gasp shot at the end zone was intercepted by Jessie Bates III.
The win improved the Falcons’ record to 7-7 to keep their long-shot playoff hopes afloat. But there was little from Monday’s performance to suggest an imminent rally past the 8-6 Buccaneers for the NFC South title.
Falcons struggle to capitalize on good field position
The Falcons spent most of the night starting drives in premium field position then failing to convert it into touchdowns. Three first-half drives that advanced to Raiders territory ended in punts. A second-half possession that started at the Las Vegas 37-yard line thanks to a blocked punt netted just a field goal.
The lone offensive highlight for Atlanta saw Kirk Cousins hit Drake London for a 30-yard touchdown at the end of the first quarter. London broke free from busted coverage by cornerback Jack Jones and ran untouched down the right sideline to secure the scoring grab.
The struggles that flummoxed Cousins throughout the four-game losing streak continued throughout the night. The first-year Falcons quarterback was repeatedly off-target and limited by…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/falcons-limp-past-2-win-raiders-in-another-tepid-effort-from-offense-kirk-cousins-042706437.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-12-17 04:27:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
