Las Vegas Raiders at Atlanta Falcons: 4 things we learned in Week 12

Las Vegas Raiders at Atlanta Falcons: 4 things we learned in Week 12

There is no such thing as a guaranteed win in the NFL

The Falcons are now 4-7 after their victory, but even at 3-7, they were dangerous considering they are one of the few teams better than their record. If you reverse the incredible onside kick, and Todd Gurley not taking a knee at the one-yard line, the Falcons would have been 5-5 coming into this week, and perhaps they would have been taken more seriously by the Raiders.

This would not fall under the category of a trap game considering the Raiders play the winless Jets next week but it is a game they could have possibly overlooked because of the Falcons’ record. Another factor in the Raiders easing up could have been the Falcons missing their two best offensive players in Todd Gurley and Julio Jones who were both ruled out with injury.

Whatever the cause was for the Raiders playing such sloppy football it was inexcusable and they should know that no opponent in the NFL can be overlooked. Perhaps they may learn a lesson from this game and take it to heart and not repeat the performance against the Jets.

Ultimately that game may matter more from a playoff tiebreaker perspective because it’s an AFC matchup but as we learned today, there is no such thing as a guaranteed win in the NFL, even against a team that’s 0-11.