Four things to pay attention to in week 15

• WHERE: Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
• WHEN: 8:30 PM ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes, NFL+

1) Atlanta needs Cousins ​​back on track. The Falcons remain in contention for the NFC South crown, but haven't looked like a division-winning team over the past four weeks — a stretch in which they have lost all four of their games by a combined 60 points, including a doubleheader. by the Vikings last week. A lot of the problems in this period can be attributed to the regression of Kirk Cousins, who has zero touchdown passes and eight interceptions in that period. It's the first time in his career he's had four consecutive games with a passer rating below 80.0, with a total of seven such games in 13 starts this year. Previously, Cousins ​​had a TD-INT ratio of 17-7, but now he leads the league in picks. The battle was so remarkable that head coach Raheem Morris now had to wonder whether to continue with Cousins ​​after the final two games, choosing to stand behind his QB despite the presence of rookie Michael Penix Jr. in the wings. This isn't the only problem the Falcons have that they need to improve on if they want to get back in the win column, let alone overtake the Buccaneers in the race over the last four weeks. But it starts with the play of their veteran quarterback, and this week could be a make-or-break opportunity with questions already swirling.

2) The QB situation in Vegas is unknown. Injuries haven't been kind to the Raiders this season, with the latest blow coming in the form of Maxx Crosbys seasonal ankle surgery. And there's another injury storyline to keep an eye on as Monday's game approaches, as the Raiders could send in their third starting quarterback of the season. Aidan O'Connell is the latest QB to deal with injury after suffering a bone bruise in his knee during last week's game. The injury initially appeared significantly more serious, but OConnell still missed all three practices this week and is questionable to play. O'Connell's season has been up and down and then taken over Gardner MinshewHe was benched, subsequently injured his thumb, then returned to his QB1 role for the final two games, though he has an 0-4 record in his starts. It's looking less and less likely that his injury will allow him to play this week, but if he does, it will give him the necessary opportunity to lead his team to a victory. But if he can't go, he will Desmond Knight at the helm, with the QB coming in with personal history with the Falcons. Ridder played the last two years with Atlanta and started 13 games in 2023. He went 6-7 with 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and was benched several times by then-head coach Arthur Smith. He was eventually traded to the Cardinals after Cousin signed, then cut and signed by Las Vegas prior to the regular season. If OConnell can't play now, he could get a chance to show his stuff to his new and old team. We'll probably have to wait until just before game time to know if it will be OConnell or Ridder who will get the start, but both QB performances will be worth paying special attention to.