Falcons at Raiders: How to watch, odds, expert picks as Atlanta vies for playoff bid

Life looked peachy for the Atlanta Falcons three weeks ago. With a two-game lead in the NFC South and the tiebreaker over Tampa Bay after a season sweep, the playoffs felt certain. But after dropping the division lead to the Buccaneers during a four-game losing streak, the heat is on the Falcons and quarterback Kirk Cousins to save their season when Atlanta travels to face the Las Vegas Raiders. Atlanta is favored by more than a field goal in the second matchup of Monday night’s doubleheader.

How to watch Falcons at Raiders

The downfall of Cousins accelerated Atlanta’s spiral into mediocrity. The veteran signal-caller hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass during Atlanta’s losing streak — the longest such drought of his career — while throwing eight of his league-high 15 interceptions over that span. If Cousins struggles to find a rhythm against one of the league’s worst teams, calls will grow louder for Atlanta to make a change to first-round pick Michael Penix Jr.

Regardless of Atlanta’s situation under center, running back Bijan Robinson should get plenty of touches. During Cousins’ struggles, Robinson has 20-plus carries in three of the last four games as he closes in on 1,000 yards for the season.

Keeping quarterbacks and running backs healthy remains an issue for Las Vegas, which is on an NFL-high nine-game losing streak. If Aidan O’Connell (questionable) is sidelined, third-string quarterback Desmond Ridder gets a revenge-game opportunity against the team he started for last season. The Raiders’ abysmal running back committee remains last in the NFL in yards per game.

Against a below-average Atlanta defense with the NFL’s fewest sacks, rookie tight end Brock Bowers will be the focal point for Las Vegas. Second in the NFL with 87 catches, Bowers surpassed Sam LaPorta’s single-season rookie tight end receptions record during Week 14.

Atlanta Falcons vs. Las Vegas Raiders odds

Expert picks for Falcons vs. Raiders

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(Photo of Kirk Cousins: Dustin Bradford / Getty Images)