Best NFL Picks and Predictions Today (How to Bet Falcons vs. Raiders on Monday Night Football in NFL Week 15)

The Atlanta Falcons have squandered a lead in the NFC South division to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they have a chance to improve their playoff chances with a win on Monday Night Football against the two-win Las Vegas Raiders.

Las Vegas has dropped nine games in a row, ranking dead last in the NFL in EPA/Play on offense.

That should make things easier on the Falcons in Week 15, but Kirk Cousins has to play better if Atlanta is going anywhere this season.

The veteran quarterback has thrown eight interceptions and zero touchdowns over his last four games, leading the Falcons to a 0-4 record in that stretch. Now, Atlanta is favored on the road to get back to .500 against Las Vegas.

If you’re looking to bet on this matchup, you’ve come to the right place.

The SI Betting team has anytime touchdown scorers, props and a pick on a side for this matchup to help you wager on Monday’s action.

Here’s a full breakdown of some of our favorite plays for this matchup.

Best NFL Picks and Predictions for Falcons vs. Raiders

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Atlanta Falcons -5.5 (-112) vs. Las Vegas Raiders – Iain MacMillan
Jakobi Meyers Anytime TD (+220) – Iain MacMillan
Kirk Cousins OVER 240.5 Passing Yards (-115) – Iain MacMillan

Atlanta Falcons -5.5 (-112) vs. Las Vegas Raiders – Iain MacMillan

Earlier this week, SI Betting’s NFL betting insider Iain MacMillan shared a pick for this game in his Road to 272 column – where he bets every game, every week:

The Falcons have been horrific of late, but now is the time to finally buy low on them. They have played a gauntlet of good teams lately, but specifically a gauntlet of great defenses in the Vikings, Chargers, and Broncos. They finally get to play a bad team and more importantly, a bad defense in the Raiders. Depending on who plays quarterback for them, this could also be a game against their former quarterback, Desmond Ridder.

The Falcons still have some respectable metrics including ranking 12th in Net Yards per Play at +0.2 and eighth in offensive success rate. Even in recent losses, they've been outplaying their opponents but have fallen to costly turnovers and penalties. Those are the types of things they can't overcome against good teams, but won't be enough to keep them from overwhelming bad teams like the Raiders.

Las Vegas enters Week 15 ranking dead last in the NFL in EPA per Play and if Ridder gets the start, expect them to be even worse than usual.

It's now or never for Kirk Cousins and Atlanta and I think it's time they finally play as well as we've seen at times early in the season.

Jakobi Meyers Anytime TD (+220) – Iain MacMillan

The Raiders don’t have a ton of options at receiver since moving on from Davante Adams, but veteran Jakobi Meyers has put together some strong games when he’s been in the lineup.

MacMillan thinks he could be worth a bet to find the end zone this week:

Brock Bowers is the clear No. 1 option in the passing game for the Raiders but Jakobi Myers is by far the best receiver left on this roster. He has already hauled in 66 receptions for 743 yards and two touchdowns. Now, he gets to face a Falcons defense that ranks 29th in opponent EPA per dropback.

With the Raiders likely playing from behind Meyers is going to be a live candidate to score a late touchdown while they attempt to play catch-up.

Kirk Cousins OVER 240.5 Passing Yards (-115) – Iain MacMillan

Will Kirk Cousins finally have a bounce-back game? MacMillan is counting on it – at least when it comes to Cousins’ passing yards:

A lot of people are down on Kirk Cousins right now, but it's not his lack of yardage that's been the issue, it's been the turnovers. In fact, he's coming off a 344-yard performance against the Vikings and is averaging 261.2 passing yards per game this season, well above his set total for the Falcons' Monday night game against the Raiders.

The Raiders enter this game ranking 26th in opponent dropback EPA so it's not like Cousins has to face an elite pass-defense. In fact, this will be the worst defense he will have faced in weeks. He may throw an interception or two, but I feel confident he can surpass 237.5 yards through the air.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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