‘MNF’ takeaways: Falcons hold off Raiders to stay alive in NFC South

The Atlanta Falcons held off a late rally by the Las Vegas Raiders to score an ugly 15-9 win on “Monday Night Football.”

The Falcons gave up a late TD with 2:54 remaining and needed this interception in the end zone from safety Jessie Bates III on a Hail Mary attempt at the end of regulation to seal the deal.

Here are five takeaways:

Bijan Robinson reaches 1,000 rush yards in a season for the first time

With 22 carries for 125 yards, Robinson became the seventh player this season to rush for at least 1,000 yards, per NFL.com. Even more impressive, Robinson accomplished the feat in his second season in the league.

It marked the seventh time this season that Robinson has rushed for at least 90 yards. The second-year RB also has nine TDs (one receiving).

The offense needs to be more efficient overall, but Robinson has had a career year in just his second season in the NFL.

Desmond Ridder unable to provide a spark for Las Vegas against his former team

With QB Aidan O’Connell (knee) ruled inactive for Monday night’s game, the Raiders turned to third-year QB Desmond Ridder.

Ridder, who previously played for Atlanta his first two seasons, could not provide a spark to a struggling offense. Ridder completed 23 of his 39 pass attempts for 208 yards with one TD and two interceptions. 

The offense was held to only nine points and 249 total yards, with 113 of those yards coming on the last two drives for Las Vegas. According to TeamRankings, the Raiders rank 29th in the league in points per game (17.5 ppg), so their performance should come as no surprise.

The offensive woes for the Raiders were a problem again as they continued to put themselves in contention for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Falcons defense and special teams bail out lackluster offensive performance

Kirk Cousins’ turnover woes and inconsistency continued on Monday night. According to StatMuse, Cousins has thrown 16 interceptions this season, which is the most in the NFL.

On top of that, Cousins was only 11-of-17 for 112 yards with one TD and one interception. Luckily for him, Atlanta’s defense picked up this safety late in the first half to go with two interceptions and one fumble in the game.

The special teams wanted to get in on the action as well, with three blocked kicks in the game (two blocked punts and one blocked extra point attempt).

Here is the blocked extra point attempt that kept it a 15-9 lead in favor of the Falcons with 2:54 left.

It is a good thing for Falcons fans that the defense and special teams came to play because the offense was mostly nonexistent on Monday night.

The Raiders need major help at QB

Las Vegas has a lot of areas that need improvement. None may need improvement more than the QB position, though.

From Gardner Minshew’s 10 interceptions, O’Connell’s inexperience and Ridder’s inability to make much happen on Monday night, the Raiders should have their eyes on a QB in the upcoming draft.

According to some mock drafts, Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders is projected to go to Las Vegas with the No. 2 overall pick as things currently stand. Sanders has passed for 3,926 yards, 35 TDs and eight interceptions with the Buffaloes this season. Per Sports-Reference, Sanders’ 3,926 passing yards are third in Division I this season, while Miami QB Cam Ward, who is also projected near the top of each mock draft, has the second-most passing yards ahead of Sanders with 4,123.

That is the kind of production that is lacking from the Raiders at the moment. While the QB position alone is not the only problem that needs to be fixed, drafting someone like Sanders or Ward could be the start of a much-needed turnaround for the Raiders.

Falcons keep NFC South hopes alive

It was hard to watch, but the Falcons’ win on Monday night improved their record to 7-7, which is one game back of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6) for first place in the division.

Tampa Bay has played its way back into the division lead, riding a four-game winning streak after a midseason stretch that saw the Buccaneers lose four straight. On the flip side, the Falcons snapped a four-game losing streak against the Raiders.

Luckily for the struggling Falcons, they won both meetings with Tampa Bay this season. While their schedule is manageable, with the Washington Commanders (9-5) being the only team above .500 remaining, their lack of explosiveness and passing game woes are concerning down the stretch.