LAS VEGAS — — Ahead most of the game, including by double digits in the fourth quarter, the Atlanta Falcons were just trying to hold on at the end.
The Raiders had two passes into the end zone. Two passes to steal a victory and hand Atlanta a considerable setback to its playoff hopes.
Desmond Ridder’s first attempt was incomplete and his second was intercepted by Jessie Bates III, allowing Atlanta to escape Las Vegas with a 15-9 victory Monday night and keep pace in the NFC South.
The Falcons (7-7) ended a four-game losing streak to remain a game behind the first-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Atlanta owns the head-to-head tiebreaker in a close race with three games remaining.
“That’s where you want to be, and that’s exactly where we’re at,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “We’ve got a short week. We’ve got to get back in the lab. We’ve got to find ways to fix what we did wrong tonight and come out and get another win.”
Atlanta has a favorable remaining schedule, facing two teams with a combined five wins that sandwich a trip to 9-5 Washington. Tampa Bay has a similar finishing stretch.
A potential No. 1 overall draft pick rather than playoff scenarios make up most of the conversation regarding Las Vegas (2-12). The Raiders lost their 10th consecutive game, the NFL’s longest active skid, and are tied with the New York Giants for the league’s worst record. It is the fifth-longest skid in Raiders history, and worst since dropping 16 straight a decade ago.
Kirk Cousins entered with no touchdown passes and eight interceptions over his previous four starts, raising questions about whether rookie Michael Penix Jr. would take over at quarterback for Atlanta. Morris stuck by Cousins — who signed a four-year, $180 million contract this year — over the eighth pick in the NFL draft.
Cousins did little to assuage concerns about his play, passing for just 112 yards with an interception. His 30-yard pass to a wide-open Drake London with 14 seconds left in the first quarter to put Atlanta ahead 7-0 was his first touchdown toss since firing three of them Nov. 3 in a 27-21 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
“He’s got to play better,” Morris said.
Cousins didn’t disagree.
“It’s stating the obvious,” he said.
The Falcons got the rest of their points on two field goals from Younghoe Koo and a safety by defensive lineman Zach Harrison.
Bijan Robinson rushed for 125 yards and London caught three passes for 53 yards to give him 219 career receptions. London passed Calvin Ridley’s 217 catches for most in Falcons history over a player’s first three seasons.
Atlanta prevented Ridder from putting a dent in its playoff plans. Ridder, who started 13 games for the Falcons last season before he was traded to Arizona, was stymied most of the night in his first start this season. In replacing Aidan O’Connell, inactive because of a bruised left knee, Ridder passed for 208 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Ridder again downplayed the emotions of playing against his former team, emphasizing this was more about the Raiders than him.
“We were never able to find a rhythm until late in the game,” he said. “By then, it’s too little, too late.”
The injury-riddled Raiders gained just 249 yards, and they have trailed by double digits in all 14 games this season.
O’Connell wasn’t the only player missing. Defensive end Maxx Crosby announced Saturday he would be undergoing season-ending ankle surgery, and the Raiders were without about half their starting lineup on defense.
Las Vegas also lost running back Sincere McCormick, who had recently become the starter, to an ankle injury early in the second quarter.
Even so, the Raiders nearly rallied to win.
Ridder’s 5-yard touchdown pass to running back Ameer Abdullah with 2:54 left brought Las Vegas within six. The extra point was blocked, the third time the Falcons got their hands on a Raiders punt or kick.
After getting the ball back for a last-gasp drive, the Raiders converted a fourth-and-8 from their 34-yard line to eventually set up Ridder’s two shots into the end zone.
“Desmond did a good job throwing it up there,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said. “It’s a jump-ball situation.”
Up next
Falcons: Host the New York Giants on Sunday.
Raiders: Host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
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