3 Raiders who should be benched or fired after MNF loss to Falcons

The Las Vegas Raiders had their chances against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football. As had been the case 11 times already this season, they couldn't figure out how to win.

When your quarterback can't throw, your running backs can't run and your special teams are anything but special, that's to be expected.

The Falcons came away with an ugly 15-9 victory in Las Vegas. The Raiders came away with the same old questions about how to clean up the mess.

Quarterback Desmond Ridder

Anyone with a brain going into this game should have known Desmond Ridder wasn't the answer for the Raiders. He's just not a functional starter at the NFL level and he showed it in this one.

The Raiders didn't have much of a choice once Aiden O'Connell was ruled out. So, I'm sympathetic to the fact that it was either Ridder or undrafted free agent Carter Bradley. Picking the guy who has at least started a few NFL games over the rookie was sensible enough.

Next week though? The hope is that O'Connell can give it a go. Would it be the worst idea in the world to get a look at Bradley if he can't? It's not like Las Vegas is playing for anything except the No. 1 pick in the draft.

Running back Alexander Mattison

Alexander Mattison is heading for free agency and the Raiders shouldn't even think about re-signing him. This game should have shown them enough.

Mattison fumbled in the first quarter and finished the game with 21 yards on seven carries. He also caught two passes for three yards. It wasn't exactly a banner day.

That's not to say Ameer Abdullah was great or anything. He was spectacular on the Raiders final scoring drive and kept them alive on fourth down at the end of the game. The problem is Abdullah also made critical mistakes, including fair catching a punt at the three-yard line to set up a safety (more on that in a second).

There was nothing to like about the rushing attack, even before Sincere McCormick left with an injury. He had seven carries for eight yards.

None of the backs were good enough. Abdullah can catch the ball. McCormick is young. Mattison is the one with no upside right now.

Special teams coordinator Tom McMahon

Woof. That's the only place to start. Wooooooooooooof.

The Raiders special teams were putrid against the Falcons. It got to the point you had to wonder if they practiced field goals at all this week. How else do you explain not one, not two but three blocked kicks on a national stage?

Atlanta's Khadarel Hodge got his hand on a punt in the third quarter to set his team up with good field position at midfield. The Falcons went down to score a touchdown. Hodge got through again to block a third-quarter punt, setting up a field goal. Special teams nightmares for LV weren't done. Atlanta blocked the extra point on the touchdown that put the Raiders back within one score.

Oh, and the safety that Las Vegas gave up? That came after Ameer Abdullah fair caught a punt at his own three-yard line.

The Raiders lost by six points. Make that extra point and it's a five-point deficit. Let that punt bounce into the endzone instead of setting up a safety and it's just a three-point gap. That alone would have put Vegas in position to tie the game with a field goal in the final seconds. Go a bit further and erase the blocked punt that set up a Falcons field goal and it would have been a tied game when Abdullah scored his late touchdown.

There are way too many "ifs" there to suggest the Raiders lost the game because of special teams. They just made it very, very hard to win it.