In a Week 12 matchup, the Las Vegas Raiders hit the road to take on the Atlanta Falcons, looking to continue their march to the playoffs.
Sunday was a tough night for Las Vegas, as the Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs battled till the bitter end and when the dust settled the Chiefs came out as the victor. With a record of 6-4, and holding on to the last spot in the playoff race, the Raiders really can’t afford to lose many more games.
The Atlanta Falcons have had a disappointing season so far, which has included firing head coach Dan Quinn, and the promotion of Raheem Morris to interim head coach. The Falcons have actually gone 3-2 since Morris took over, and are playing much better than they were under Quinn.
Star wide receiver Julio Jones is going to be a game-time decision by the time Sunday comes around because of a hamstring injury, but the Falcons have enough weapons for the struggling Raiders defense to worry about.
The Raiders offense has been humming so far this year and there haven’t been many games that they haven’t put up at least 30 points. The story of the season of course has been the performance of the defense. Safety Johnathan Abram blew coverage on Sunday to cost the Raiders the chance to sweep the Chiefs and still have a shot at winning the AFC West.
The defensive line didn’t perform the way they did in the first matchup, the defensive backs didn’t adjust to the short throws that the Chiefs were killing them with all game, and Patrick Mahomes was able to trot down the field and win late. There are many reasons why Las Vegas lost that game defensively Sunday Night, but the players simply need to learn from their mistakes and move on.
Here are 3 players to watch in the Raiders matchup against Atlanta.