Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Live coverage: Raiders fail to score a touchdown in embarrassing loss to Falcons

Raiders fall in ATL

Brynn Anderson / Associated Press

Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones (45) runs toward the end zone for a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders after his interception during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020, in Atlanta.

Updated Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020 | 4:34 p.m.

Raiders struggle in Atlanta

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Brandon Powell (15) scores a touchdown aginst Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nevin Lawson (26) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020, in Atlanta. Launch slideshow »

After two of their best performances of the season, the Raiders undoubtedly put on their worst Sunday afternoon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Las Vegas committed five turnovers and 11 penalties in a humiliating 43-6 loss to Atlanta. The Raiders never led and started their parade of giveaways early.

Looking not fully recovered from last week’s 35-31 setback to the Chiefs, the Raiders fumbled on their second possession when Jacob Tuioti-Mariner went unlocked and stripped quarterback Derek Carr. It was the first of four Carr turnovers, as Tuioti-Mariner went on to strip-sack him again late in the second quarter and he threw an interception in the third quarter.

Falcons linebacker Deion Jones took the pick back 67 yards for a touchdown.

In the fourth quarter, Carr again lost the ball amid pressure as Steven Means hit it out of his hands before teammate LaRoy Reynolds recovered. The game was already out of reach by then anyway.

The Raiders’ defense held strong initially, limiting the Falcons to a pair of field goals and what looked like a missed third attempt before a flag came out. The Raiders were called for roughing the kicker, extending the Falcons drive and leading to a touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Calvin Ridley.

Tuioti-Mariner’s second fumble recovery led to another field goal and the Falcons went into the locker room with a 16-3 lead.

Things only got worse in the second half. The Raiders settled for a questionable 24-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson to cut a 20-point deficit into a 17-point deficit after Jones’ interception.

Ryan drove the Falcons right down the field on their next drive and found Brandon Powell for a 4-yard touchdown pass. Ryan didn’t have a huge statistical day — throwing for 185 yards on 22-for-39 passing with the two touchdowns.

But he didn’t need to. The Raiders gave this one away in an uncharacteristic performance for what was a team in a playoff spot before the game started.

Stay tuned to lasvegassun.com for more coverage later.

Raiders continue to unravel in fourth quarter

Turnover No. 4 made the game 33-6 Falcons. Turnover No. 5 made the game 40-6 Falcons.

The Raiders are enduring one of the biggest blowout losses of the NFL season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Las Vegas keeps giving Atlanta short fields and the home team keeps capitalizing.

Ito Smith ran in the latest touchdown, scoring on an 8-yard rush. Matt Ryan has completed 22 of 39 passing attempts for 185 yards and two touchdowns.

More than 10 minutes remain, which must feel like an eternity for a Raiders’ team that hasn’t been able to do anything all day.

Falcons ahead 30-6 with 2 minutes left in third quarter

Brandon Powell has given the Falcons their biggest lead after catching a 4-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan with two minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Ryan’s second touchdown pass capped an 11-play, 88-yard drive scoring drive to put the Falcons ahead 30-6. The drive also lasted 4:39, as draining the clock will now become an emphasis in a game that appears nearly Falcon-proof.

Atlanta has blown some leads this year, but none this big, this late into the game.

Daniel Carlson kicks a field goal for Raiders with 6:39 left in third quarter

The Raiders still haven’t scored a touchdown.

Las Vegas just had one of its best drives of the game, going 69 yards on 12 plays, but ended it with a 24-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson. Atlanta leads 23-6 with 6:39 to play in the third quarter.

Derek Carr is up to 196 yards after completing 21 of 33 passing attempts.

Falcons score on a pick-six to start second-half scoring

An unsuspecting rout is on.

The Falcons lead 23-3 after Deion Jones returned the Raiders’ latest turnover, their fourth, 67 yards for a touchdown. All three turnovers are on Carr, who had two fumbles before the latest interception.

Atlanta has been known to blow leads throughout the season, but this one would take a major reversal of fortune.

Falcons lead 16-3 at halftime

Kicker Younghoe Koo is the Falcons' leading scorer as Atlanta leads Las Vegas 16-3 at halftime.

The Raiders had a shot at a two-minute drill at the end of the first half, but Derek Carr lost a fumble after getting hit by Jacob Tuioti-Mariner. The Falcons then managed to go 49 yards down the field in 59 seconds to set up for Koo for what would be a successful 30-yard attempt. 

Atlanta up 13-3 with 2:19 to go

The Falcons finally found the end zone after living in the Raiders’ red zone for most of the game.

On 4th-and-3 from the Raiders’ 4-yard line, Matt Ryan hit Ridley in the back of the end zone to put the Falcons up 13-3. Atlanta had settled for another field goal but had its drive extended when Dallin Leavitt was flagged for roughing the kicker.

The Raiders will have a chance for a 2-minute drill to cut into the deficit.

Raiders get their first points

An overturned fumble call on Josh Jacobs allowed the Raiders to get their first points, off of a 51-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson.

The Falcons lead 6-3. The Raiders got the ball back off of an interception from Johnathan Abram who made a diving catch on a ball that richocheted off Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst.

They got down to the three-yard line after a long catch by Henry Ruggs on a 4th down, but then moved backwards because of penalties. Jacobs fumbled and the Falcons recovered at the 23-yard line and it looked like replay would confirm the call on the field, but it was overturned.

Falcons lead 6-0 in first quarter

Younghoe Koo added a second field goal after the Raiders' fumbled deep in their own territory.

Las Vegas' defense held strong to make up for Derek Carr's giveaway, stuffing Brian Hill for a loss of one yard and then dodging back-to-back passes in the end zone intended for Olimade Zaccheaus.

The Falcons lead 6-0.

Falcons go up 3-0

The Raiders set the Falcons up with strong field position when a 4th-and-1 toss to Josh Jacobs failed at their own 45-yard line, but it didn’t hurt too much.

Atlanta picked up one first down but couldn’t move any closer and settled for a 38-yard field goal from Younghoe Koo.

Clelin Ferrell will miss second straight game

Jon Gruden warned this could happen. The Raiders’ coach said just because Clelin Ferrell had returned to practice from his stint on the COVID-19 list, it didn’t mean he would return to the field right away.

Those weren’t empty words as the defensive end wound up the biggest name on the Raiders’ just-released inactives list for today’s game against the Falcons. Ferrell joins running back Jalen Richard, guard John Simpson, defensive tackle Daniel Roos and quarterback Marcus Mariota with the inactive designation for Week 12.

For the second straight week, the trio of Carl Nassib, Arden Key and Kendal Vickers should see more snaps as a result.

The Falcons’ inactives are more notable from a skill-position standpoint as neither running back Todd Gurley nor wide receiver Julio Jones will play.

WEEK 12

• Who: Raiders (6-4) at Falcons (3-7)

• When: 10 a.m.

• Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta

• TV: KSNV Channel 3

• Radio: Raider Nation Radio 920 AM, KOMP 92.3

• Betting line: Raiders -3, over/under 54

A devastating 35-31 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last week leaves the Raiders in a familiar position. For the second straight year, they’re 6-4 with six games to go and need a strong finish to the regular season to secure a playoff spot. Last season, this is when things started to unravel. The Raiders lost four straight including getting blown out by a combined score of 74-12 in back-to-back road games in Week 12 and Week 13. They look like a better team this season — their point differential is currently +10 as opposed to -25 at this point a year ago — but even the best teams sometimes have a tough time bouncing back from a defeat as emotional as last week’s was against Kansas City. Las Vegas can’t afford to dwell if it wants to get back into the playoffs for the first time since the 2016-2017 season.

Favorable matchup: Darren Waller vs. Falcons’ pass defense

It could be a memorable homecoming for the Raiders’ sixth-year tight end who grew up in nearby Kennesaw, Ga., before attending Georgia Tech less than two miles away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Falcons have been the worst team in the league against tight ends this season by Football Outsiders’ DVOA ratings. Opposing tight ends average six receptions and 62 yards per game against Atlanta, and that’s despite not facing one as prolific as Waller yet. Waller sits second in the NFL — behind Kansas City’s Travis Kelce — with 84 receptions and 519 receiving yards on the year. Atlanta did show some progress last week, holding New Orleans’ tight ends to two catches for 25 yards in a 24-9 loss. If the Falcons can’t continue in that direction, they should expect the Raiders to make use of the ample portion of their playbook where Waller is the first read for quarterback Derek Carr.

Problematic matchup: Falcons’ rush defense vs. Raiders’ rush offense

THEY SAID IT

• “They’re 3-7; that’s a joke. That’s the best 3-7 team I’ve ever seen. I don’t know how they lost some of these games. I’m sure they don’t know either.” -Gruden on the Falcons and their string of baffling endgame collapses this season

• “That’s one we all wanted, one we can’t get back. We’ve just got to go forward this week, each and every week going forward, to make sure we do our part to get to face those guys again.” -Safety Johnathan Abram on losing to the Chiefs

• “They’re pissed about it, the record we have right now. We should be better and that’s a good feeling to have as a coaching staff and certainly for our players to feel that.” -Offensive coordinator Greg Olson on how the Raiders responded to last week’s loss

• “We’re definitely a better team this year, but right now we have to, and I mean have to, finish the season better than we did last year….I think it’s different, I feel it’s different but time will tell.” -Carr comparing this year’s 6-4 start to last year’s 6-4 start

If Falcons linebacker Foyesade Oluokun ever needs an outsider to speak on his behalf as a player, he should seek out Raiders coach Jon Gruden. Unprompted this week, Gruden gushed over Oluokun and said he might be the best linebacker Las Vegas has faced all year. Not bad for a 2018 sixth-round NFL Draft pick out of Yale. Oluokun leads Atlanta in tackles and has become the centerpiece of a resurgent run defense. The Falcons were a sieve on the ground a year ago, but with Oluokun’s emergence, fellow linebacker Deion Jones’ health and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Grady Jarrett’s leverage, they’ve been stingy this season. Atlanta rates 10th against the run in the league by DVOA. Las Vegas likes to let running back Josh Jacobs set the tone early, especially in road games, but it may be more difficult than normal in Atlanta.

Gamebreaker: Coach Jon Gruden

After a near-flawless passing performance against the Chiefs, Carr finally started getting some of the widespread acclaim he’s earned by leading one of the NFL’s best offenses this season. Gruden is next in line to receive public plaudits, if not outright apologies. In his third season since rejoining the Raiders, Gruden has built an offense he’s always envisioned, an offense that most predicted he’d be incapable of heading after nine years as a television personality. Gruden’s playcalling has been as lethal as Carr’s arm, imbuing Las Vegas with a weekly rhythm that other teams rarely find. The Falcons likely have more offensive talent than the Raiders, but they too often look like a discombobulated mess. The Raiders rarely do, and Gruden’s direction might be the single biggest reason why.

Big Number: 42

Straight games since Pro Bowl center Rodney Hudson has allowed a sack, dating back to Week 17 of the 2017 season. Las Vegas has one of the best pass-blocking offensive lines in the NFL, and it starts in the middle with Hudson. Carr hasn’t been sacked in 10 straight quarters this season either, a phenomenal stretch considering Las Vegas has been playing with makeshift lines virtually every week due to injury. Hudson and right guard Gabe Jackson have been the only constants that have started in every game. Some may gloss over the importance of a center like Hudson, but Carr certainly doesn’t. “Every time I see the COVID doctor walking around here, I always ask him, ‘Is Rodney OK?’ He’s walking around telling people, ‘Contact, you’re too close.’ I’m like, ‘Well, just make sure Rodney is not by anybody, alright?’”

Best Bet: Nelson Agholor under 3.5 receptions

It was no anomaly that 11 different players caught a pass last week against the Chiefs. The Raiders’ receiving options run deep and no one outside of Waller is going to see a consistent stream of targets every game. And that’s coming straight from Carr, who routinely says some version of, “It’s going to be someone different each week.” Last week was Agholor’s time as he hauled in six catches for 88 yards. But he’s only had more than 3.5 receptions in a game on two other occasions this season. His yardage total also looks high this week at 46.5, but he’s been such a big-play threat that it’s probably safer to go under on receptions. Heed Carr’s words and look for someone else to be his favorite receiver against the Falcons.

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or