The Atlanta Falcons will host the Las Vegas Raiders in AFC action on Sunday afternoon. The Raiders are attempting to rebound from a narrow home loss to the Chiefs. The offense continues to thrive and they have won three out of their last four games overall. Every game is huge as they are holding onto a Wildcard spot in the AFC playoff picture.

The Falcons playoff hopes are on the brink and they are playing for pride the rest of the way. They had a two-game winning streak slashed in a loss to the Saints last week to dip into last in the NFC South. The Falcons recorded a 35-28 win over the Raiders in the previous meeting back in 2016.

Raiders’ Winning Streak Ends in Loss to Chiefs

The Las Vegas Raiders head on the road where they stand at 4-1 on the season. Las Vegas had a three-game winning streak erased in a tough 35-31 home loss to the Chiefs last week in a clash that had the Raiders tabbed as 7.5 point dogs. The Raiders have covered in all but three games this season.

Derek Carr continues to shine and tallied another 275 passing yards last week. The 29-year old QB is having a terrific season, collecting 2431 passing yards along with a dazzling 19:3 TD to INT ratio. He has only been sacked once in his last three games.

Josh Jacobs has surpassed 100 yards in two out of his last four games. The 22-year old RB has a tough matchup against a good Falcons rush defense. Jacobs has tallied 755 rushing yards on an average of 3.8 yards per attempt. Jacobs was limited in practice on Wednesday with a hip injury. Darren Waller continues to be targeted heavily by Carr. The 28-year old tight end has made 22 catches in his last three games and has accumulated 519 receiving yards on the year. The Raiders’ offense has scored at least 30 points in three straight games.

The Las Vegas defense is not nearly as effective as the offense. They have been exploited by most opponents this season and especially have trouble defending the pass with a pass defense that is placed 28th while the rush defense is 12th. The Raiders are averaging 28.6 points, good for eighth in the NFL. They are conceding an average of 27.6 points, positioning them 26th overall.

Falcons Lose to Saints, Plummett to Last Place

The Atlanta Falcons have plummeted into last place in the NFC South. They stand at 3-2 in their last five games but the 0-5 start to the season is proving to be too much to overcome. The Falcons were four-point dogs in a 24-9 road loss to the Saints last week in what was a winnable game with Brees out of action.

Matt Ryan wasn’t at his best last week but overall is having a productive season. The veteran is fourth in the NFL with 2978 passing yards accompanied by a 15:7 TD to INT ratio. The downside is he has tossed four picks in his last three games. Todd Gurley II hasn’t played a big factor recently. The 26-year old RB has rushed for 55 or fewer yards in three consecutive games and has posted 610 yards on an average of only 3.7 yards per attempt which is below average. He’s also out this game with a knee injury.

Julio Jones also hasn’t been involved as much recently, bringing in only 93 receiving yards in his last two games. The veteran WR is second on the team in receiving behind Calvin Ridley with 677 yards. Jones is dealing with a minor hamstring injury and is listed as questionable. The Falcons’ offense was awful last week but still, rank eighth in total yards per game.

The Atlanta defense hasn’t been reliable this season, however, they haven’t been quite as vulnerable over their last six games. They are effective against the run with a rush defense that stands ninth which is in stark contrast to a pass defense that is 31st. The Falcons are averaging 25.2 points, ranking them 16th in the NFL. They are allowing an average of 27.5 points, placing them 25th overall.