ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta is a contender in the weak NFC South despite another shaky performance from quarterback Kirk Cousins that led the Falcons to become a run-first team.
An ugly 15-9 win at the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night left the Falcons 7-7 and one game behind Tampa Bay in the division.
The Falcons hold the tiebreaker advantage with the Buccaneers, leading coach Raheem Morris to say after the game “That’s where you want to be.”
The win came with Cousins passing for only 112 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He offered a somber review of his outing when he said “It’s not where I want to be.”
Cousins entered the game with no touchdown passes and eight interceptions in his previous four games. He ended his touchdown drought with a 30-yard scoring pass to Drake London in the first quarter but couldn’t build off that highlight and added his league-leading 16th interception.
The Raiders (2-12) are tied for the league’s worst record with the New York Giants, who bring a nine-game losing streak to Atlanta on Sunday. The Falcons then face a difficult game at Washington (9-5) before closing their regular season at home against Carolina (3-11).
Morris said last week he doesn’t want to rush rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who has appeared in only two games and did not play against Las Vegas.
Morris said that sticking with Cousins “has nothing to do with non-belief” in Penix. “But he is a rookie and we do have a plan and we have had a plan from the beginning on how we want to utilize and be able to play our rookie when it’s time.”
Morris also said other coaches have “pulled the trigger and put guys out there too early and it’s gone terrible, right? And I don’t want to be that guy.”
Cousins, 36, signed a four-year, $180 million contract in the offseason before Penix was selected No. 8 overall in the NFL draft. Morris says the Falcons have never wavered from their belief that Penix is their future starter.
The ongoing question for Morris: When does that future begin?
What’s working
Thanks to Bijan Robinson’s career-high 125 rushing yards, Atlanta outrushed Las Vegas 168-65.
Once the Falcons took the first-quarter lead on Cousins’ only touchdown pass, Atlanta leaned heavily on its running game. Robinson had 22 of the Falcons’ 37 carries. Tyler Allgeier added 12 carries for 43 yards. Atlanta averaged 4.5 yards per carry.
Robinson now has 1,102 rushing yards for his first 1,000-yard season. He has topped 100 yards in three of the past five games. He has 20 or more carries in four of the past five games after reaching that total in only one of the first nine games.
What needs help
The Falcons’ reluctance to pass allowed the Raiders to stack the defensive front and pressure Cousins on obvious passing situations. The limited passing game removed play-action passes from Atlanta’s game plan.
There were few opportunities for wide receivers. Darnell Mooney had no catches on one target. London’s three catches came on his only three targets. Ray-Ray McCloud had one catch on three targets.
Stock up
With three games remaining, linebacker Kaden Elliss has a career-high 124 tackles after leading Atlanta with 11 stops against the Raiders. It was the fourth consecutive game and eighth overall this season Elliss has led the Falcons in tackles.
Elliss had his fourth sack of the season. The Falcons’ late-season pass-rush surge continued with four sacks, including outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone’s first two of the season. Atlanta has had at least four sacks in three straight games.
Stock down
Cousins appeared to be late on some throws, perhaps an indication that his problems with interceptions have hurt his confidence.
Despite continued statements of confidence in Cousins by Morris, the play-calling tells another story.
Perhaps most telling was Cousins was given few opportunities to pass. He completed only 11 of 17 passes as the Falcons kept the ball on the ground.
Injuries
After placing LB Troy Andersen on IR before the game with a left knee injury, the Falcons had LB Nate Landman leave with a neck injury before returning in the third quarter.
Key number
4: Punter Bradley Pinion helped Atlanta dominate the field-position battle. Pinion had four punts downed inside the 10, including two inside the 5.
Next steps
The Falcons return home to play the reeling Giants on Sunday. The Giants tied their franchise record with their ninth straight loss in Sunday’s 35-14 setback to the Baltimore Ravens.
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