A big reason many people expected a bounce-back season from the Falcons in 2018 was the return of star running back Devonta Freeman.
Through seven games, Freeman’s impact has been minimal, and the Falcons rushing attack as a whole is one of the worst in the entire league.
You wouldn’t expect things to turn around this week when Atlanta plays host to the Seahawks. However, if you look closely at Seattle, their run defense is just average.
Last week in a 30-16 loss to the Ravens, the Seahawks allowed 199 yards on the ground. For the season, they are No. 17 in rushing yards allowed — giving up 108.0 per game.
Atlanta won’t have backup running back Ito Smith, who will miss the game as he recovers from a concussion. That should leave the bulk of work for Freeman in Week 8.
While he hasn’t exactly been himself this season, Freeman has rushed for 294 yards on 3.5 yards per carry. He’s also added 27 receptions for 209 yards and three receiving touchdowns, showing he can still affect the game when there isn’t any running room.
The Falcons’ offense was improving prior to their 10-point performance against the Rams last week. The team rushed for just 38 total yards, and quarterback Matt Ryan threw for an uncharacteristically low 159 passing yards.
If Ryan is unable to start due to an ankle injury, it’ll be Matt Schaub playing for Atlanta. He will need some help from the running game in order to keep a potent Seahawks offense off the field.
Freeman was tossed out of the Rams game for getting into it with defensive tackle Aaron Donald, but has a perfect chance to redeem himself in Week 8.
