Everything.

It may sound exaggerated, but the season and future of the Atlanta Falcons depend on this game. If they can’t beat a two-win football team without a starting-caliber quarterback, their mathematical probability of making the playoffs is meaningless. This is a game where you can’t lose.

Sure, Atlanta could still finish with a winning record despite a loss; They could even make the playoffs, but could they survive the noise between then and a loss on Monday night? The Raiders are a terrible football team, and Falcons fans are familiar enough with this type of product to know it when they see it.

You can’t explain a loss to a team whose biggest success story of the season was selling a share of the franchise to a man obsessed with avocado ice cream. That doesn’t mean the opponent should be taken lightly, but this is the perfect game of doing the right thing to kick off this final four-game stretch, and wouldn’t it be nice to to be on the right side of this type of game? once?

Raheem Morris has come under fire during Atlanta’s collapse, and while talk of a “several” season still seems premature, an embarrassing outing could change his future prospects. Coordinators Zac Robinson and Jimmy Lake also need to be held accountable. Both have made significant progress over the course of the season, but the fans have also been left scratching their heads too often.

The Raiders have been one of the worst-coached teams this season, and if the Falcons’ staff can’t outwork them, eyebrows will be raised. Coaches cannot control players’ performance, but far too often execution errors stem from mental and technical errors rather than outright losing their matches to the better player. The former falls to a certain extent on the staff. A lack of punishment and questionable situational decisions will go a long way; more of the same, and fans will continue to be wary of this personnel’s potential.

No one feels the pressure more than Kirk Cousins. cousins ​​​​was The problem during this four-game stretch. That’s not to say the aforementioned problems don’t exist; They just weren’t as bad as the quarterback’s play. During this four-game layoff, Cousins ​​threw eight interceptions without throwing a touchdown. The quarterback makes pressures like he’s Dwayne Wade, but this change doesn’t create opportunities. It closes them. Ball protection comes first.

The Falcons have two running backs who can score touchdowns, but not even the dynamic backfield of Robinson and Allgeier can overcome interceptions in enemy territory – and neither can the defense. If Cousins ​​is allowed to throw the ball, he has to hit the open balls; There were too many touchdowns that fell into the arms of an opposing defender. When the play doesn’t work, Cousins ​​has to do something we’ve rarely seen all year: throw the ball out of bounds.

The quarterback was careless with possessions, treating them like there were endless possibilities. Not everyone will be open every game, and that’s okay; Waiting for another player to go down is a better decision than forcing the ball into a window for which you don’t have the arm strength. Cousins ​​needs to start playing like the game manager he was signed to be; Atlanta’s offensive weapons can play the role of hero.

A loss does not disqualify Atlanta from playoff contention, but it does guarantee that they will be below the Buccaneers the following week. Pending Tampa Bay’s performance against the Chargers, a loss to the Raiders would either help division opponents increase their gap or give them a bonus in the event of a loss. Regardless, Atlanta can’t worry about the Buccaneers’ results until they start winning games again.

I’m sure many have already convinced themselves that even if the Falcons finish 10-7, win the division and make the playoffs, they won’t be happy. I see your bluff. You haven’t seen the Falcons in the playoffs since the 2017 season, and you’d like me to think you’ll turn your nose up at that because the Falcons once had a four-game losing streak.

Please. You idiots will be there with your eyes glued to the TV and an impending bar therapy session. This is how every fan who has suffered through this nearly decade-long drought should behave. This year was literally about overturning the win total of the last three years and making the playoffs, and it’s a tangible accomplishment that gives fans hope for the future. Burn them after waving that hope in their faces, and you’ll have to win a Super Bowl to regain that trust. This is the social contract that all NFL participants enter into.

The results of this game have consequences, fair and unfair. Claims of poor culture and rumors of locker room dysfunction will continue to grow. Several men’s jobs will be called into question and confidence in the franchise will wane. A win cures everything, and no team needs a win more than your Atlanta Falcons.