The Seattle Seahawks are back in action and will be looking to return to their winning ways with a Week 8 showdown against their old rival, the Atlanta Falcons.
No out of division team has given the Seahawks more trouble in the Pete Carroll era than the Falcons. The Seahawks may hold a 10-8 lead on the all-time series record, which dates back to Seattle’s inaugural season of 1976, but in recent years the advantage has been all Atlanta’s.
Quarterback Matt Ryan and the Falcons have always seemed to have Carroll’s Seahawks’ number. Atlanta has a 5-2 record versus Seattle since 2010. The Seahawks haven’t managed to beat the Falcons since October of 2016, a game which featured a controversial no-call on potential pass interference which would have set Atlanta up for a game-winning field goal attempt.
Since that game, the Falcons went on to beat the Seahawks twice more, including a blowout playoff victory the same year. Atlanta’s head coach is former Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who is able to offer his team a more intimate look at Seattle than most other squads get.
However, the 2019 Falcons are in a much different position. Sitting at 1-6, following five straight losses, Atlanta’s season has become completely derailed and all playoff hopes have flown the coop.
As if losing five straight games isn’t bad enough, the hits just keep on coming for the Falcons, as it appears they will be without their MVP quarterback.
Matt Ryan suffered a sprained ankle against the Rams in Week 7 and had to leave the game. While Ryan did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday, he was still not ruled out. Now it seems his chances of playing are quickly diminishing.
If Ryan is unable to go, veteran backup Matt Schaub will get the start.
Prediction: Seahawks over Falcons 27-17
Simply put, this is absolutely a must-win game for the Seahawks for two reasons:
1.) They need to keep pace with a stacked NFC, especially with undefeated San Francisco, Green Bay and New Orleans who are 6-1 each, and Minnesota who is 6-2.
2.) If the Seahawks cannot beat a team that is in a tailspin, it will shatter any perception they can do anything meaningful when it comes to the playoffs.
There is no reason why the Seahawks shouldn’t storm into Atlanta and walk away winners. Quarterback Russell Wilson had an uncharacteristically bad game against the Ravens, and he doesn’t have many back-to-back bad games. Expect Wilson and the offense to bounce back against an injury-ravaged Falcons defense.
