Skip to main content
Advertising

Falcons-Raiders game breakdown: What happened in Week 15

The main takeaways, moments and more that determined the outcome of Monday’s game between Falcons and Raiders.

LAS VEGAS — Two phases of the Atlanta Falcons' game plan executed their jobs well enough to secure a Week 15 victory Monday against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.

Final score: 15-9

Why it's important: The Falcons snap a four-game losing streak and improve to 7-7 overall. Because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also won their Week 15 game, the Falcons remain one game back from the NFC South lead. That's better than two games, though. All the Falcons have to do to clinch the division is match the Buccaneers' final record. Atlanta holds the tiebreaker since it swept Tampa Bay this season.

Key takeaway: The Falcons' defense and special teams came to play and complemented each other very well. No drive showed this better than the one that ended in a safety during the second quarter.

  • More: The Falcons' offense stalled out, so punter Bradley Pinion was called upon. He punted the ball 40 yards, and it was far caught at the Las Vegas 3-yard line, setting the Raiders' offense up right outside their own end zone.
  • The Falcons' defense understood the assignment that followed the prime field position.
  • On the first play, Falcons defensive lineman Kentavius Street tackled Raiders running back Alexander Mattison for a loss of 2 yards. On the second, Falcons defensive lineman Zach Harrison tackled Mattison for a loss of 1 yard in the end zone for a safety.
  • Pinion and another special teams standout get their flowers below. Therefore, let's use this space to address some defensive standouts: Defensive lineman DeAngelo Malone had two sacks — his first-ever multi-sack game. Inside linebacker Kaden Elliss also had a sack with 11 tackles — his eighth game with double-digit tackles this season. Safety Justin Simmons had an interception — his second of the season.

Standout performance: Bradley Pinion. The Falcons punter truly had himself a game. He punted five times, and all but one punt was pinned within the 10-yard line. Pinion's first punt in the first quarter and last punt in the fourth quarter went into the end zone, resulting in touchbacks, but the rest put the Raiders' offense at the 3-yard line (twice), 8-yard line and 9-yard line. With Atlanta playing relatively conservatively, Pinion's punts were very impactful.

  • Bigger picture: Monday's game makes Pinion one of three punters in the NFL this season to have multiple punts downed inside the 5-yard line in a single game.

Number to know: Two. The number of Raiders punts that Falcons wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge got his hands on. The first one in the first quarter technically didn't count as a blocked punt because the ball didn't go behind the line of scrimmage. The second in the third quarter was an official blocked punt. The Falcons' offense took over possession at the Raiders' 37-yard line as a result and got a 40-yard field goal out of it.

  • Honorable mention: Falcons cornerback Kevin King blocked a Raiders' point-after attempt after their touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Player milestones:

  • With his 8-yard run at the 3:03 mark in the first quarter, Falcons running back Bijan Robinson broke 1,000 yards rushing in 2024. The former No. 8 overall draft pick entered Monday's game with 977 yards rushing. Read more on Robinson’s milestone.
  • With his 30-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter, Falcons wide receiver Drake London recorded his fifth-consecutive prime-time game with a receiving touchdown. That's the longest active streak in the NFL. London has scored a touchdown in every prime-time game in which he has played.
  • With his 5-yard catch at the 3:19 mark in the second quarter, Falcons tight end Charlie Woerner set a career high in receptions with six. His previous high was five in 2021 with the San Francisco 49ers.

Injury updates:

  • Defensive lineman Demone Harris injured his neck during the first quarter and was ruled questionable to return. He did, though, in the third quarter.
  • Inside linebacker Nate Landman injured his neck during the second quarter and was ruled questionable to return. He also came back in the third quarter.

A quick tweet: The Falcons editorial staff of Tori McElhaney, Will McFadden, Terrin Waack and Amna Subhan share their gut reactions to Monday's outcome in 280 characters or less.

  • McElhaney: This is what the Falcons should have done. But they also should have done more, too. Both things can — and are — true.
  • McFadden: This was a two-phase takeover, but the Falcons will need all three phases to catch the Bucs.
  • Waack: SPECIAL TEAMS!!!!!!!!!
  • Subhan: A win is a win.

Settling the storylines:

  • Familiar-faced foe: In the lead-up to Monday's game, the Raiders wouldn't say whether Aiden O'Connell or Desmond Ridder would be their starting quarterback. O'Connell sustained a knee injury in Week 14 but remained questionable until inactives were announced 90 minutes prior to kickoff. His name was on the Raiders' list, meaning Ridder got the opportunity to start against his former team.
  • Injured-reserve moves: Earlier Monday, the Falcons announced defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro (ankle) was activated from injured reserve and inside linebacker Troy Andersen (knee) was placed on it. Andersen had already been ruled out of the Week 15 game, receiving the game designation on Friday's final injury report, while Orhorhoro was originally questionable. Orhorohoro was last active in Week 8.
  • Player of the Game?: Bijan Robinson. The running back is on track to have a career season, entering Monday's game with 1,378 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns. Since the Falcons' offense has struggled in the pass game lately — zero touchdowns but eight interceptions in the previous four losses — it's essential the run game is not only operational but successful. That starts with Robinson. ... Robinson was once again excellent Monday. He finished the game with 135 yards from scrimmage, becoming the first Falcons player since wide receiver Julio Jones in 2018 to have 10 games with more than 100 yards from scrimmage in a single season.

Looking forward: The Falcons return home to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Week 16 to host the New York Giants (2-12) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

Get an inside look at the matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium during Week 15, presented by Grady.

Related Content

Advertising