NFC Divisional Playoff 2017, Seahawks vs. Falcons: Preview, Prediction
Seattle Seahawks vs. Atlanta Falcons
A regular season meeting between the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons ended in controversy. With the latter driving to try and take the lead, a pass interference call was missed as Richard Sherman mauled Julio Jones. That ended the drive and allowed the Seahawks to ride out the win. On Saturday in the 2017 NFC Divisional Round, the Falcons will look to exact revenge at the Georgia Dome.
Despite that loss to the Seahawks, Matt Ryan and the Falcons have been monstrous all season en route to winning the NFC South. They have one of the most potent offenses in the NFL and their defense has shown flashes throughout the year. Even still, this is a team largely untested in the postseason. The same can’t be said for their opponents coming into town.
Russell Wilson and the Seahawks know the rigors of the postseason and already have a bit of momentum after a Wild Card Round rout of the Detroit Lions. Even still, their vaunted defense is short-handed without their anchor, Earl Thomas. Thus, this will be arguably the tallest task that they’ve faced all season on Saturday.
Here’s a look at the keys to victory for each team:
Keys to Victory
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Without Thomas in the secondary, the dirty secret of the Seahawks is that their defense is more vulnerable than ever before. They’re susceptible over the top in a way that’s uncommon for this unit. Subsequently, Ryan and the Falcons need to look to exploit that. The likes of Julio Jones, Taylor Gabriel, and Mohamed Sanu are all capable of burning teams deep. If they can get loose and attack where Thomas no longer is, they can have success with big plays that could deflate the Seahawks team.
For Seattle, what they need to do in this game is negate the effect of the Falcons offense with their own offense—specifically with Thomas Rawls in the run-game. Rawls found life against the porous rush defense of the Lions a week ago, going for 161 yards on the ground. While the Seahawks offensive line still doesn’t inspire much confidence, the Falcons run defense is also not the strongest of units. If they can then exploit that and control the game with Rawls, they’ll have a better chance of slowing down the potent Atlanta offense.
Odds
Point Spread: Atlanta -6
Moneyline: Atlanta -235, Seattle +195
Over/Under: 52.5
Next: How Seahawks Can Upset the Falcons
Prediction
Despite being battle-tested and a team you never want to see in the postseason, I don’t think the Seahawks have enough to contend with the Falcons offense. Matt Ryan and company have been historically dominant this season and have been lethal when there’s a weakness to attack. The Seahawks without Earl Thomas have that weakness and, thus, will find themselves overmatched.
Prediction: Seattle Seahawks: 20, Atlanta Falcons: 35