Inside the Game: Seahawks at Falcons

By Dustin Ehle

One of the most intriguing matchups this divisional round is definitely Seahawks vs. Falcons.  Seattle has been on a tear in recent weeks and showed resilience in their comeback against Washington last week.  For Atlanta, they have a huge chip on their shoulders.  Will this be yet another one-and-done playoff escapade?  This is their third straight year making the post-season (a franchise record) but if they come away empty-handed yet again . . . let’s just say comparisons to Tony Romo and Cowboys will be made.  However, Matt Ryan is definitely having the best year of his career and the combination of Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez has proven too much for the majority of the competition this year.  I do see two major weaknesses with the Atlanta Falcons which will ultimately lead to their downfall this Sunday.  First, their running game is not nearly what it used to be.  Michael Turner has definitely had an off-season usually averaging about 2 fantasy points per game for me (yeah, I had to bring my fantasy woes into this).  The other factor is their defense.  Atlanta has been generally known in the past for having a decent defense, but their 21^st run defense this season is most certainly not decent.  Consequently, I think Seattle can control the momentum of the game if they utilize Marshawn Lynch as much as possible.  Russell Wilson once again showed last week that he is a well-balanced quarterback who handles pressure well.  I was particularly impressed with his performance after Seattle’s first two drives against Washington considering they were down 14-0 in a playoff game.  That’s composure found only in elite quarterbacks.  The game will most likely come down to which team can control the ball the longest, in my opinion.  Atlanta’s lack of a running game will prevent them from sustaining drives and most of their points will come on big plays, which they are more than capable of.  Yet, I think the Seahawk defense has it in them to stop this high powered passing attack just enough and the Seattle offense will grind it out against Atlanta’s weak run defense.  Atlanta can look forward to traveling the road of defeat . . . yet again.