What’s your favorite Falcons - Raiders memory ever?

The Falcons and Raiders have played 14 times in total over the years, and they’ve split the series 7-7. It’s fair to say that this is not an opponent Atlanta runs into very often, and thus there are a limited number of memories to draw on for an article like this.

That said, there are still some fond ones that come readily to mind. For me, the best game and best memory for Falcons - Raiders came on a November day way back in 2008, Matt Ryan’s first season in the NFL. That matchup pitted them against the truly abysmal JaMarcus Russell, who came into the game having thrown 7 touchdowns against 3 interceptions, but a lot of poor completion percentages and one 55 yard day on the season.

Against the Falcons, he put up perhaps the sorriest game of his entire career. The Falcons held Russell to 6 completions on 19 attempts and picked him off once, but those 6 completions went for just 31 yards. Marcus actually scrambled for more yards than that, running twice for 46 yards, but the Falcons also held the Raiders to just 67 yards on the ground. On offense, Matt Ryan was crisp and hooked up with Michael Jenkins for a pair of touchdowns, which keyed a 24-0 rout that was somehow even more lopsided than the score would suggest.

This is one of the few times in the history of the Atlanta Falcons where they successfully held an opponent under 100 yards and shut them out, and remains one of the most enjoyable defensive performances of The Falcoholic era, circa October 2006 until now. If we could just get that kind of performance again versus the Raiders in 2020, we’d have something enjoyable to write about.

What’s your favorite memory?