Kirk Cousins’ free fall continues with the Las Vegas Raiders

The Atlanta Falcons (7-7) ended their four-game losing streak Monday night, defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 15-9 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Atlanta, which led 15-3 and had the ball with less than six minutes to play, had to evade two Hail Mary attempts from Raiders quarterback Desmond Ridder in the final seconds to fly home victorious.

The Falcons wanted to play complementary football. They didn’t – but not without a few outstanding efforts.

Special teams

Receiver KhaDarel Hodge blocked a punt and tipped in another, while cornerback Kevin King blocked an extra point. Punter Bradley Pinion pinned the Raiders deep several times. Return specialist Avery Williams had a 12-yard punt return, a 38-yard kick return and a 28-yard post safety kick return.

Without his brilliant special teams night, Atlanta almost certainly won’t win this game.

OLB DeAngelo Malone

Where did he come from? Malone, who had just one sack in his first 45 games as a pro, collected two sacks Monday night.

It’s worth noting that with their two third-round draft picks in 2022, the Falcons drafted Ridder at No. 74 overall and Malone at No. 82 overall.

RB Bijan Robinson

The second-year runner completed 22 carries for 125 yards and caught one pass for 10 yards. He broke the 1,000-yard mark late in the first quarter, broke the 2,000-yard mark for his career and moved into 17th place on the team’s all-time rushing list.

Robinson’s 135 yards from scrimmage brings him to 1,513 scrimmage yards this season, which is already more than the 1,463 he amassed last season.

(RELATED: Falcons’ Bijan Robinson Reaches Career Milestones With Raiders)

QB Kirk Cousins

While Cousins ​​went through a four-game streak without throwing a touchdown pass, he struggled otherwise. He completed 11-for-17 passes for 112 yards, one touchdown and one interception, giving him five straight winning games – the longest single season of his career.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said after the game that the team needed Cousins ​​to “play better” as a result of both the player and the staff. Cousins’ struggles in Las Vegas did little to erase concerns about his job security over rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

Team leadership

Yes, the Falcons suffered their defeat. They’re just one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and have a manageable three-game sprint to the finish line at .500, yes.

But it’s hard not to feel like Atlanta, on the form it showed on Monday night, is a serious contender if it actually finds its way into the playoffs.

The Raiders have now lost 10 straight games and Ridder, who began the season on the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad, is Las Vegas’ third starting quarterback this season. And yet the Falcons had to hold their breath in the final seconds.

Winning in the NFL is hard, and that shouldn’t be overlooked. But the Falcons made it much harder than it needed to be.

K Younghoe Koo

Koo went 2-for-3 kicks, attempting from 40 and 48 yards, but narrowly missed from 42 yards. But perhaps the biggest question surrounding Koo is not what he did, but what he didn’t do.

The Falcons had chances for field goals from 55 and 56 yards in the first half and opted to punt instead. Koo hit a 58-yard field goal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and the domed Allegiant Stadium was expected to provide a similar atmosphere.

Morris said after the game that he just wanted to nail Las Vegas. On one occasion he was right, as Pinion pushed the Raiders deep into their own territory and Atlanta forced a safety two snaps later. On another occasion, Pinion’s punt went into the end zone, resulting in a field position gain of just 18 yards.