How the Raiders Defense Will Be Tested By Falcons

The Las Vegas Raiders defense will be without Maxx Crosby as they face an Atlanta Falcons team with plenty of offensive weapons.

Dec 8, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) celebrates running back Bijan Robinson's (7) touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings during the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders' defense suffered a major blow when star defensive end Maxx Crosby was announced to be out for the rest of the season. Without Crosby, the team will now try to slow down an offense with immense potential.

After allowing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to run for over 150 yards last week, the Raiders will face one of the best running back duos in the league, Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce knows how formidable of an offense the Falcons have.

"Yeah, I don't like watching him," Pierce joked when asked about slowing down Robinson. "I wish they would put the other running back [Allgeier] in. He's a really good player. I've watched him since high school, college, dynamic player. I mean, reminds me when I played Reggie Bush. I mean, first guy doesn't tackle him, line him up at wide receiver, out the backfield, run game impressive. I mean a really, really good football player. We've got our hands full with this one. We're going to need all 11 Raiders to make this guy get on the ground and tackle him. It's going to be a difficult challenge, obviously a tremendous player, but our guys are up for it." 

While the Falcons' running backs are talented, Atlanta's offense is much more than just their two outstanding running backs. Pierce noted just how good of an offense the Falcons have surrounding Robinson and Allgeier.

"I mean overall, this whole offense," Pierce said. "I mean, let's keep naming guys. You've got [Kyle] Pitts, you've got Drake London, you've got Tyler [Allgeier]. I mean, this is a really explosive, dynamic offense with Kirk Cousins there. Offensive line is playing well, plays good as a unit. We're going to have to be dialed in, and I thought last week our team against a very good, explosive offense in Tampa Bay for three and a half quarters did just that, and we're going to need to do that for 60 minutes."

The Raiders' matchup with the Falcons on Monday could potentially be a surprisingly exciting matchup between two teams that have lost 13 consecutive games combined

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