Sitting at 6-4, the Las Vegas Raiders were supposed to have some easy sledding against the 3-7 Atlanta Falcons, but they were dominated throughout.
Expected to go into Atlanta and absolutely dominate the Falcons, the Las Vegas Raiders had multiple turnovers in what was their most embarrassing loss of the season.
In one of the sloppier first halves we have seen from this Raiders team in a long time, the Silver and Black were absolutely dominated by the Falcons before half time. Penalties, fumbles, and bad play calling caused the Raiders to go down early, and they would have to claw their way back just to get back into the game.
Las Vegas forced a punt on the Falcons’ first possession, and when they got the ball back, they saw their drive stall on a stop by Atlanta on a fourth-and-1. That led to an Atlanta field goal for a 3-0 lead, and after Derek Carr fumbled on the next possession, Younghoe Koo was able to put another one through the uprights.
Josh Jacobs caused a Raiders to drive to an end with a questionable lowering of the head call, but Isaiah Johnson would deflect a Matt Ryan pass into Johnathan Abram‘s hands to give Las Vegas the ball back. On a fourth-and-3, Carr hit Henry Ruggs III down to the three-yard line, but they would eventually have to settle for a field goal.
From there, the first half went from bad to worse, as a roughing the kicker penalty extended a Falcons drive that would lead to a Ryan to Calvin Ridley touchdown. Vegas got the ball back with a little over two minutes left, but a second fumble by Carr ended any chance of the Raiders making some noise in the first half.
Atlanta was able to knock through another field goal, and the two teams went into halftime with the score 16-3 Falcons, and the Raiders getting the ball to start the third.
Las Vegas Raiders dominated in blowout loss to the Atlanta Falcons
Second Half
The second half started terribly for the Silver and Black, as they had a three-and-out on their first possession, and the next time they got the ball, it got even worse. After stopping Atlanta, and getting the ball in great field position, Carr threw a pick-six to Falcons star linebacker Deion Jones, making the score 23-3.
Las Vegas responded, driving the ball deep into Falcons’ territory, but the drive would only yield three points. It was a questionable decision to go for three, as the Raiders would have been down three scores whether or not they got the field goal. Turns out, the game would continue to move in the Falcons’ direction, as they dominated throughout.
Ryan led a beautiful touchdown drive to give the Falcons a commanding 30-6 lead, finding Brandon Powell from four yards out. When the Raiders got the ball, disaster struck once again, as Jacobs not only fumbled the ball away but was also injured on the play.
Koo hit another field goal to give the Falcons a four-possession lead at 33-6 early in the fourth quarter and would cruise to the victory. For Vegas, this was the most embarrassing loss of the season and severely damaged their playoff chances.
Las Vegas Raiders dominated in blowout loss to the Atlanta Falcons
Looking Ahead
In 2019, the Raiders went into their game against the New York Jets on the road in the same situation they were in on Sunday. Sitting at 6-4, they were expected to run through a very bad 3-7 Jets team, but instead, they left MetLife Stadium on the losing side of a 34-3 score.
In Week 13, Las Vegas will have a chance to get their revenge, as a loss to the lowly Jets would probably be the death nail in them making the playoffs. Raiders fans are already having flashbacks from last year, where they had a 6-4 record and were facing a 3-7 team before the wheels fell off, and they lost all but one of their final six games.
The New York Jets have not won a game all season long, and the Raiders should be able to absolutely dominate that matchup. If they lose to this Jets team, you might as well call it a wrap for the 2020 NFL season.