What to expect from the Monday Night Football game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Atlanta Falcons

The Las Vegas Raiders will play two primetime games in 2024.

One is against their bitter rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, on Black Friday. A few weeks later, they will face the Atlanta Falcons at Allegiant Stadium for a Monday Night Football showdown.

This will be the first time the Raiders and Falcons have crossed paths since the 2020 season. The Falcons defeated the Raiders 43-6 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The two teams have only faced each other 15 times in their history, with the Falcons holding a slight 8-7 advantage.

Raheem Morris coached the Falcons on an interim basis during this game. This time around, he’s Atlanta’s boss after being one of three black head coaches hired during this year’s cycle (Antonio Pierce was one of the other two, along with Jerod Mayo of the New England Patriots ).

The Falcons are starting over, in a sense, with Morris at the helm and Kirk Cousins ​​taking over at quarterback. Cousins ​​spent the last six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings before signing a huge contract in Atlanta.

The team has some talented young players that the Raiders need to keep an eye on, including running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts. Despite some questionable play calling and quarterback play last season, all three produced at a respectable level.

The Raiders could compete well with the Falcons offense. It could be difficult for Atlanta to run the football against Las Vegas’ strong defensive line, while linebacker Divine Deablo could neutralize Pitts with his speed and coverage ability. The Falcons may have to lean heavily on London in the passing game.

Defensively, the Falcons could take a step back. They lost defensive linemen in Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree, two of their best passers last season. They are also counting on a lot of youth to play an important role in 2024. Davante Adams and the Raiders offense could benefit from these aspects.

The Raiders are excellent on Monday Night Football, posting a 45-32-1 record in franchise history during this prime-time matchup. On the other hand, the Falcons struggled in Monday’s games, posting only a 15-28 record. History indicates the Raiders might have the edge here.

This is the type of play that defensive end Maxx Crosby could shine on. If the game is close in the fourth quarter and the Falcons have the ball, the defensive strategy might be to have Crosby cover his ears and go after Cousins.

An explosive attack from the Falcons and a relentless Raiders the defense should make for an exciting prime-time matchup.

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