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blstoker
Bill Bergen for HoF!
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- Apr 17, 2013
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- WA
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Positives:
30-28. That has been the score the last 2 times the Seahawks have faced the Falcons, including a near miraculous comeback in Atlanta in last year's playoffs. This season the Hawks have shown that they can win close games, and with all kinds of adversity. They still haven't lost a game by more than 7 points to anyone since Russell Wilson has been the starter, and Wilson has 7 4 quarter comebacks and 9 GWD in his 25 career NFL starts.
Russell Wilson. No one has been better at getting positive plays out of broke plays this season than Wilson. Due to the Sehawks line issues this season, Wilson is pressured on over 50% of his drop backs. He's still managed to post a 98.1 passer rating, and has a tendency to make the big plays when they are needed most. If the Hawks find themselves behind, it's hard to not just believe the kid will bring them back, cause he always does.
LOB. The Falcons run the ball less than any team in the NFL, so there should be some opportunities for the DBs of the Seahawks to make plays. Matt Ryan is prone to mistakes at times, so if the team plays solid defense, gets pressure and has good coverage, Ryan may slip up eventually. Last week was the first time in 14 games (including playoffs) that the Hawks didn't force a turnover. Let's get a couple and start another 14 game streak.
Negatives:
Sleeping Giant. The swift fall from contender to forgotten has been very swift for the Falcons, and if they decide to wake up, it could spell trouble for the Seahawks. This is a team that has beaten the Seahawks each of the last 3 years and has scored at least 30 in each contest. Don't let the 2-6 record fool you, they have the talent to compete, especially with them possibly getting one of their weapons back this week.
Porous Defense. The Sehawks have allowed 200 yards rushing in each of the last 2 weeks, against weak run offenses (Tampa Bay's performance brought them up to 18th and St. Louis has climbed to 23rd). Once again the team will face a team who statistically shouldn't be able to run the ball on them. The Seahawks need to find a way to stop the turnstile defense up the middle, and defeat the Falcons at the LOS.
OLine Roulette. The Seahawks have had their fair share of injuries on the offensive line. Unger will be out, joining Giacomini and Okung once again. The Seahawks are going to have to show that they are getting better with the patchwork offensive line, not the regressions that seem to be happening for the last few weeks or so.
Match-ups:
Golden Tate & Doug Baldwin vs. Desmond Trufant, Asante Samuel & Robert McClain. In last season's playoff game the Falcons sold out to stop Lynch, holding him to less than 3 yards per carry, and that's a strategy that has been used the last two weeks to varying success. It looks like that until our tackles are back, teams are gonna try to stop the run and rely on their defensive line to beat the Seahawks pass blocking on pass plays. Tate and Baldwin will need to win their battles and give Wilson something to throw to before Umenyiura and crew can get too much pressure. Bevell is a pass first guy, and that comes through in his play calling at times, and I see him trying to soften the run D by throwing some passes.
Tony Gonzalez & Jacquizz Rodgers vs. Seahawks LBs. Gonzalez has caught 44 passes this season, and Rodgers has 33. In all, RBs and TEs have caught 35 passes since Jones and White went down, and the Falcons won't be afraid to use those weapons (especially since the Seahawks have given up plenty of yardage to backs and TEs on shorter routes). This doesn't mean that Harry Douglas won't get his looks (19-270-1 against Tampa and Arizona) but that is a problem from the LOB, and as long as the LB are giving good coverage and sure tackling, everything else will take care of itself.
Brandon Mebane & Tony McDaniel vs. Peter Konz, Justin Blalock & Garrett Reynolds. This team is gonna need Mebane and McDaniel to do a better job in the middle than they have the last couple weeks. There not only needs to be penetration to disrupt the play int he backfield, but they will have to not get caught in traps at the line. They are gonna need to stuff the line up, and not allow the linemen to get into the LBs. At that point, the LBs will need to make some sure tackles, the fumbles will come with good technique, no need to rip at every ball.
Overview:
The Seahawks are 4-1 on the road, including having played 3 of their 5 10am games already, and have built some confidence in their ability to come out with wins on road trips. Unfortunately, the Hawks have started playing sluggish at the beginning of games, no matter where they're playing. They will need to come out quick and keep the pressure on Atlanta the entire 60 minutes, something they really haven't done this season (except maybe the 9ers game). The offense will need to be better, they are averaging nearly 100 yards less per game on the road this season than at home (and they also average 10 points less per game). If the offense sustains drive and doesn't turn the ball over, then this could be a good game for the Seahawks.
30-28. That has been the score the last 2 times the Seahawks have faced the Falcons, including a near miraculous comeback in Atlanta in last year's playoffs. This season the Hawks have shown that they can win close games, and with all kinds of adversity. They still haven't lost a game by more than 7 points to anyone since Russell Wilson has been the starter, and Wilson has 7 4 quarter comebacks and 9 GWD in his 25 career NFL starts.
Russell Wilson. No one has been better at getting positive plays out of broke plays this season than Wilson. Due to the Sehawks line issues this season, Wilson is pressured on over 50% of his drop backs. He's still managed to post a 98.1 passer rating, and has a tendency to make the big plays when they are needed most. If the Hawks find themselves behind, it's hard to not just believe the kid will bring them back, cause he always does.
LOB. The Falcons run the ball less than any team in the NFL, so there should be some opportunities for the DBs of the Seahawks to make plays. Matt Ryan is prone to mistakes at times, so if the team plays solid defense, gets pressure and has good coverage, Ryan may slip up eventually. Last week was the first time in 14 games (including playoffs) that the Hawks didn't force a turnover. Let's get a couple and start another 14 game streak.
Negatives:
Sleeping Giant. The swift fall from contender to forgotten has been very swift for the Falcons, and if they decide to wake up, it could spell trouble for the Seahawks. This is a team that has beaten the Seahawks each of the last 3 years and has scored at least 30 in each contest. Don't let the 2-6 record fool you, they have the talent to compete, especially with them possibly getting one of their weapons back this week.
Porous Defense. The Sehawks have allowed 200 yards rushing in each of the last 2 weeks, against weak run offenses (Tampa Bay's performance brought them up to 18th and St. Louis has climbed to 23rd). Once again the team will face a team who statistically shouldn't be able to run the ball on them. The Seahawks need to find a way to stop the turnstile defense up the middle, and defeat the Falcons at the LOS.
OLine Roulette. The Seahawks have had their fair share of injuries on the offensive line. Unger will be out, joining Giacomini and Okung once again. The Seahawks are going to have to show that they are getting better with the patchwork offensive line, not the regressions that seem to be happening for the last few weeks or so.
Match-ups:
Golden Tate & Doug Baldwin vs. Desmond Trufant, Asante Samuel & Robert McClain. In last season's playoff game the Falcons sold out to stop Lynch, holding him to less than 3 yards per carry, and that's a strategy that has been used the last two weeks to varying success. It looks like that until our tackles are back, teams are gonna try to stop the run and rely on their defensive line to beat the Seahawks pass blocking on pass plays. Tate and Baldwin will need to win their battles and give Wilson something to throw to before Umenyiura and crew can get too much pressure. Bevell is a pass first guy, and that comes through in his play calling at times, and I see him trying to soften the run D by throwing some passes.
Tony Gonzalez & Jacquizz Rodgers vs. Seahawks LBs. Gonzalez has caught 44 passes this season, and Rodgers has 33. In all, RBs and TEs have caught 35 passes since Jones and White went down, and the Falcons won't be afraid to use those weapons (especially since the Seahawks have given up plenty of yardage to backs and TEs on shorter routes). This doesn't mean that Harry Douglas won't get his looks (19-270-1 against Tampa and Arizona) but that is a problem from the LOB, and as long as the LB are giving good coverage and sure tackling, everything else will take care of itself.
Brandon Mebane & Tony McDaniel vs. Peter Konz, Justin Blalock & Garrett Reynolds. This team is gonna need Mebane and McDaniel to do a better job in the middle than they have the last couple weeks. There not only needs to be penetration to disrupt the play int he backfield, but they will have to not get caught in traps at the line. They are gonna need to stuff the line up, and not allow the linemen to get into the LBs. At that point, the LBs will need to make some sure tackles, the fumbles will come with good technique, no need to rip at every ball.
Overview:
The Seahawks are 4-1 on the road, including having played 3 of their 5 10am games already, and have built some confidence in their ability to come out with wins on road trips. Unfortunately, the Hawks have started playing sluggish at the beginning of games, no matter where they're playing. They will need to come out quick and keep the pressure on Atlanta the entire 60 minutes, something they really haven't done this season (except maybe the 9ers game). The offense will need to be better, they are averaging nearly 100 yards less per game on the road this season than at home (and they also average 10 points less per game). If the offense sustains drive and doesn't turn the ball over, then this could be a good game for the Seahawks.
