Betting Falcons at Raiders MNF Prediction Week 15 – Cousins vs. Ridder QB Matchup

Two teams that have lost a combined 13 games in a row face off in the second Monday Night Football game to conclude Week 15 as the Atlanta Falcons, who still have a shot to win the NFC South, visit the atrocious Las Vegas Raiders.

The Falcons are favored on the NFL odds to end their four-game slide.

Betting Falcons at Raiders MNF Prediction Week 15, NFL Odds & TV Info

NFL Moneylines: Falcons -260 vs Raiders +204
When: Monday, 8:30 PM ET
Where: Allegiant Stadium
TV: ESPN
Radio: Stream Option: ESPN+

Why Bet on Atlanta Falcons?

Through the first nine games of this season, new Falcons QB Kirk Cousins was efficient enough to lead the team to a 6-3 record, including a 4-0 NFC South mark. The wheels have come off since as Atlanta has lost four in a row, and Cousins has been a major turnover risk with 15 interceptions. He has no touchdown passes and eight interceptions during that four-game stretch, the first time a QB has had no touchdowns and eight or more interceptions in a four-game span in a season since 2005. Cousins is tied with Baker Mayfield for the most fumbles (12) this season.

QB Kirk Cousins: "You certainly have a process that's worked & has enabled you to play well, so you trust it. I think it'd be foolish, though, to just blindly stick to something even when there's clearly a fundamental you need to improve on."

🔗 MORE: https://t.co/MK5VFx1omb

— Terrin Waack (@TerrinWaack) December 12, 2024

Game Review

Atlanta lost 42-21 last week at Minnesota in Cousins’ return to the Twin Cities, where he used to play. He completed 23-of-37 passes for 344 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. Despite his recent struggles, Coach Raheem Morris says that rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. isn’t an option. Morris has maintained that Cousins has earned the opportunity to right the ship and is the man who gives the team the best chance to win. But Morris also said there are considerations about not using Penix in a situation where it could mess up his development.

Raheem Morris

“I told you right from the beginning, he’s our future,” Morris said of Penix. “… And to be able to have the respect, to be able to have the confidence, to be able to have the wherewithal to support Kirk and all this stuff, too, it’s a great learning lesson for him as well. So, when you go through all that process, you can look at different organizations [that have] pulled the trigger and put guys out there too early and it’s gone terrible, and I don’t want to be that guy.”

The Falcons – coaches and teammates alike – are confident Cousins can get back to his numbers in October: 10 touchdown passes, three interceptions. No one was doubting Cousins’ starting status at that point.

Zac Robinson

“As any athlete, sometimes you can remember the bad plays more than you can remember the good because they just stick with you,” Falcons offensive coordinator Robinson said. “I think that’s always the message to Kirk. It’s like, ‘Man, look what you’ve done. Look at the amount of production you’ve had. I know there’s a couple things here and there that we can all clean up, but there’s been a ton of good football throughout the course of the season.'”

Michael Penix Jr.

Penix is going to turn 25 in May. He made 45 starts in college, including 28 during his last two seasons at the University of Washington. If he’s not ready to start in the NFL right now, he should be very soon. Atlanta has moved the ball well all season, but when they’ve gotten into the red zone those drives have ended with field goals rather than touchdowns too often. This season, the Falcons rank ninth in the NFL with a 45.6% success rate and 11th with a down-set conversion rate of 74%. During its four-game losing streak, Atlanta’s success rate of 45.8% ranks sixth in the league and is a full percentage point higher than what the team managed over the first nine weeks of the season.

The Division

This game begins a pivotal final stretch for Atlanta, which sits in second place in the NFC South with just four weeks remaining. The Falcons enter their Week 15 game in relatively good shape health-wise. Rookie defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro is the only player listed as questionable on the game report, and he could see his first action since Week 8. Inside linebacker Troy Andersen and rookie wide receiver Casey Washington are the only two players ruled out for Monday.

Monday marks the Falcons’ fourth and final prime-time game. They’re 2-1 in that spotlight so far. They’ll also need to do so on the road, and the Falcons are 3-3 away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Raiders, meanwhile, are 2-11 overall and 1-4 at home. This will be their first prime-time game.

Why Bet on Las Vegas Raiders?

The Raiders lost their ninth straight game in Week 14, 28-13 at Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers went up 14-0 with 3:52 left in the first quarter but didn’t score again until 8:47 remained in the game. The Raiders held Tampa Bay scoreless for six straight possessions during that time. Injuries have seemed to mount for the Raiders all year, and another piled on. QB Aidan O’Connell exited the game late in the third quarter and was immediately ruled out of the game with a knee injury. Along with O’Connell out, the defense couldn’t keep its feet on the gas – allowing two touchdowns in the final quarter of action.

Game Review

The Raiders recorded four sacks against Tampa Bay, three of which came in the first half. The team now has nine sacks in the past two games, tied for their most over a two-game stretch since Weeks 10–11 of the 2019 season (10 sacks). The Raiders also reeled in two interceptions and recorded their first forced fumble of the season. The three takeaways are a season high, and all came in the second quarter. It was their first game producing multiple turnovers this season.

Brock Bowers

Rookie tight end Bowers, who began the day leading the NFL in receptions with 84, had three catches for 49 yards and broke Sam LaPorta’s year-old record for receptions in a season by a rookie tight end. LaPorta had 86 catches for the Detroit Lions in 2023.

Combined Yards

After grinding out a combined 494 yards on the ground in their final four games last season, averaging 123.5 yards per game, the Raiders had high hopes for the running game in 2024. Instead, Las Vegas is averaging 79.1 yards per game. Although Zamir White and Alexander Mattison have missed a combined eight games because of injury, former practice squad lifer Sincere McCormick is averaging 5.5 yards per carry in three games.

Aidan O’Connell

O’Connell (knee) is listed as questionable for Monday’s game. He didn’t practice all last week, but the Raiders are giving the second-year quarterback every avenue possible to return Monday from his injury. If not, Las Vegas would likely turn to Desmond Ridder against his former team. The Falcons selected the former Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback with the 74th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Desmond Ridder

Over the course of two seasons, Ridder started 17 games while throwing for 3,544 yards and 14 touchdowns for Atlanta. He also rushed for five touchdowns in 2023. Ridder was ultimately traded to the Cardinals this off season after the Falcons acquired Kirk Cousins in free agency. The Raiders signed him off the Cardinals’ practice squad ahead of Week 8, and he’s thrown for 239 yards and a touchdown in four games played in the Silver and Black.

“Whether I play, whether I don’t play, whenever that decision is made,” Ridder said. “Like I’ve said every week, I’m excited and blessed to have the opportunity to be able to go out there and step out on the field and be able to go do and play the game that I love, the game that I grew up playing, the game that I’ve put a lot of time, work, sweat and tears into. So, whether it’s against the Falcons – it doesn’t matter who it’s against. Any opportunity that I get to go out there and showcase my talents, it’s an exciting time.”

Saturday #ATLvsLV Injury Report https://t.co/8CWiuXIYmO

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 14, 2024

Maxx Crosby

Star pass-rusher Crosby will miss the rest of the season and could be traded this off season. Crosby first injured his ankle in Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens, which led to the three-time Pro Bowler missing the first game of his career in Week 4. Despite the hurdles, he leads the team in sacks (7.5) and is tied for the league-lead in tackles for loss (17). Crosby has led or co-led the league in tackles for loss in three straight seasons and, this year, became the third-fastest player in NFL history to reach 100 career tackles for loss (joining J.J. Watt and Aaron Donald).

Falcons vs Raiders Series History

Atlanta leads all-time 8-7, but the teams haven’t played since a 20-6 home win for the Falcons in November 2020, their fifth straight win in the series. But the Falcons have never played in Las Vegas previously.

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