I get the difference between home and away but the point of a loud crowd is to unsettle the defense/offense and build momentum. What I guess I am saying here is, don't be surprised if the hawks aren't really fazed by loud noise considering they have heard it week in and week out coming from Century Link (Yes it is a little different, but not enough to be a game deciding factor against the Seahawks IMO.)
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losing clemons is HUGE! irvin is not an every down player like clemons. irvin is a pass rusher that received the benefit of clemons being double teamed on passing downs to allow him to get to the passer. you're ignorant if you think otherwise. seattle's d line is already thin with the loss of jason jones a few weeks ago. not saying this is the end all be all, but its HUGEComment -
This is my take:
Everyone on Seattle's nuts. No one on Falcons. Sea just played a tough physical game, lost one of their best defenders. Also a very "emotional" game to fly to the east coast and gut out a win after being down 14-0. Now they are on their 2nd straight east coast trip plus it is an early game at that.
Atl has everyone doubting them. They are HOME after a week of rest and preparation. They are completely healthy. vs a Rookie QB (although an extremely talented one). Seattle may be more physical but the Falcons WR's and TE will just be too much for them.
My Plan: Wait until this weekend, if ATL is -1 or less bet them straight up. If ATL is -3 or more tease them with O/U (have to do more research into that). I feel like this is the spot for Sea to lose, the question is by how much?
good luck to all.Comment -
The game is sold out and has been sold out. Ticketmaster might release special sections that usually are reserved for half time performers(marching bands) during regular season. Side note, Atlanta fans get LOUD when the opposing team is on offense and that results in false starts. It also results in th burning of timeouts and delay of games. ANY TEAM playing in a dome has this advantage.Owner/Cool Works CupComment -
Its not about Seattle. They have a great team and a bright future. Atlanta was going to bust any team they played in the first round (Vikings, Redskins or Hawks). Its just the way it is...and yeah they will stop Lynch just like they have whenever they wanted to this year. Lynch wont break 80 yards.Comment -
Big shocker...the Huskie guy likes Seattle. Irvin is good but Atl is going to run right at him and try to wear his skinny a$$ down. I've also seen it with Dwight Freeney....where he runs right past the draw play cause he wants the sack and they didn't even have to block him. I also can't believe you don't understand the quiet on offense....raise hell on defense homefield advantage.Comment -
LMAO!! Let me get this straight--the Falcons allow an average of almost 400 yards per game and now, during the 2 weeks between the reg season and the playoffs are going to figure out how to play defense??
I think what EVERY Falcon fan has to be terrified of is the fact that they dont have a running game and rely on the pass....The Seahawks have the best secondary in all of the NFL. HOW ON EARTH IS ATLANTA GOING TO MOVE THE BALL DOWNFIELD?Comment -
I do get homefield advantage, but did you watch the game last week? They can play elsewhere, noise clearly isn't as much of a factor as people are making it out to be. Also, please feel free to tell me how Atlanta (Number 21st in run defense in the NFL, playing almost no run heavy teams other than the Redskins and TB plans to stop the number 2 RB + Russell Wilson from shredding their field.)Comment -
Ding Ding Ding 2 guys who see that atlanta's problem is their D.
They played the cupcakiest of cupcake schedules & their D is ranked 21st vs the rush & 23rd vs pass.
Now look at denver in the afc.They played the cupcakiest of cupcake schedules & their D is ranked 3rd & 3rd
I am not saying Atlanta can't win because it's only one game.I just can't find any reason to back them.Comment -
seattle is so much stronger than atlanta
pussy boy matt ryan wont know what hit himComment -
LMAO! How do they have the best secondary in the league? Maybe its because you play against the shitty Rams, 49ers and and the pathetic Cardinals passing game 2x a year! Give Ryan a pocket and a little time and your getting taken apart. You need not worry about how we are going to score because its our secondary and our defense that will shine on Sunday. Cant wait to see Wilson and Carrol's post press conference interview. Start thinking about draft brother, your future is bright.Comment -
The more the week goes on, the more I hear that the match-up between Roddy, Julio, & Gonzo is not a good one for Atlanta. It started out as a good match-up and then has evolved into a tough match-up and then seems to have evolved into a bad match-up for Atlanta....
Well who has Seattle stopped this year?
NE - Brady passed for 395 & 2 TDs
Det - Stafford passed for 352 & 3 TDs
Chi - Cutler passed for 233 & 2 TDs (Marshall caught 165 Yards)
The only passing offense that they have really stopped seems to be GB where Rogers only passed for 223. Do you really count the 49ers, Cardinals and Rams as passing teams...that is 6x games.
So what makes us think they can stop Ryan to Julio and/or Ryan to Roddy and/or Ryan to Gonzo.
With all the talk about the secondary, I dont think you stop ATL with your secondary. If you want to slow down Atlanta, you have to press Ryan in the middle of the pocket. That is the only thing we have seen that can slow down this passing attack. With Clemons out, I think he will have time. Other than Clemons, they really dont have anyone who puts pressure on the QB. Now they can clog the middle against the run, but we can't do that anyway.
I predict Ryan throws for over 300 yards and at least 3 TDs.Comment -
Should be a good game.....but as a Hawks fan I think the Falcons will win. I do feel better about the Seahawks chances after seeing the line open at ATL -1 though.Comment -
I have my doubts of seeing Ryan getting 3 TDs after seeing the home game 23-20 win over the oakland raiders when Ryan threw 3 picks. Hey while we have Arizona on topic wanna talk about how Ryan threw 5 picks there? I hope he keeps up the trend and makes it an EASY Seattle victory.
Feel free to continue bashing our defense when Richard Sherman is one of the best corners in the NFL. Better hope Browner is still rusty because he's your only shot of getting the ball out deep. And by the way, don't try to belittle our schedule by talking about Arizona and the Rams. I don't even want to begin to waste page space belittling yours.
PS: Still waiting on one of these Atlanta fanboys to tell me how Atlanta plans on stopping the Seahawks run game.Comment -
Pretty Boy Matt Ryan will throw 4 picks and Seattle will win, but Atlanta will score the games first Touchdown, just as Washington did last week. There's your prop and winner. Cash it.Comment -
This sounds like bullshit but this team brings its A game (this year) when it matters. However being a Falcon nut huger you have to know your teams limit...so here's how ATL can lose this game:
1. Be predictable on offense and run Turner up the middle and put Ryan in 2nd and 3rd until we get behind. Leads to 3 and outs or worse, sacks and INTs. Thats why we hired Dirk as our OC and got rid of Mularky. If this happens its because Mike Smith shits himself and goes conservative.
2. Leon Washington gets a special teams TD or some huge returns.
3. We don't spy Wilson and he gashes us all day. Wilson was sacked 5x time last week. I expect William Moore or Weatherspoon will get that mission.
I did not mention the turn over battle or Lynch factor as I believe Nolan will take care of Lynch.
Your team has a chance. This is the Falcons after all. I just have a feeling this year is different and the conditions are favorable.Comment -
Wide Receiver Trg Rec Yds TD % Slot F Pts Wide Receiver Trg Rec Yds TD F Pts Titus Young 9 9 100 2 7% 22.0 Calvin Johnson 7 3 46 0 4.6 Wes Welker 14 10 138 1 74% 19.8 Brandon LaFell 3 3 44 0 4.4 Brandon Marshall 12 10 165 0 15% 16.5 Steve L. Smith 11 4 40 0 4.0 Davone Bess 8 7 129 0 57% 12.9 Greg Jennings 9 6 35 0 3.5 Miles Austin 9 5 63 1 63% 12.3 Michael Crabtree 5 4 31 0 3.1 Andre Roberts 6 5 54 1 41% 11.4 Santana Moss 4 3 19 0 1.9 Danny Amendola 8 5 53 1 71% 11.3 Jordy Nelson 3 2 19 0 1.9 Ryan Broyles 4 3 37 1 65% 9.7 Dez Bryant 7 3 18 0 1.8 Brandon Lloyd 12 6 80 0 7% 8.0 Brian Hartline 5 2 17 0 1.7 Earl Bennett 3 1 12 1 60% 7.2 Randy Moss 3 1 14 0 1.4 Larry Fitzgerald 9 4 63 0 14% 6.3 Percy Harvin 6 2 10 0 1.0 Jeremy Kerley 7 5 57 0 59% 5.7 Randall Cobb 2 1 -1 0 -0.1 James Jones 6 5 55 0 6% 5.5 Chris Givens 3 1 52 0 14% 5.2 Pierre Garcon 6 4 50 0 12% 5.0
Just a little chart to show WR production VS SeattleComment -
We can go all day singling out bad performances by players, they all have them......likewise, we can discuss the teams that both birds didn't play.
The fact that the Falcons don't have much of a running game is negated by the fact that they are at home. They are on the playing surface they are accustomed to. A running game will override an adverse condition such as one would see in the playoffs.....raucous crowd, weather, etc. Conversely, at home where they will easily be able to check off at the LOS, the Falcons can get by with less of a balanced offense much of the time. No one has slowed their passing game down this year. Regardless of how good a single DB is, they will not be able to shut down all of the Falcon "big three" receivers in the game. Simply put, they cannot double White, Jones, and Gonzalez. One will have single coverage; whoever that one is will win most of those battles. Otherwise, the Falcons would be playing 8 on 5 if all three are doubled. Any NFL offense can succeed in that situation against any NFL defense. Seahawks know that is not a viable option. The only legitimate way to negate this is by putting pressure on Ryan to prevent him from going through his progressions.....that's where losing Clemons is a big blow for them. Given that, a key will be the Seahawks' ability to generate an interior pass rush. The Falcons are susceptible to that. Ultimately, the biggest factor will be the Falcons getting TDs, not FGs, in the red zone where they can't stretch the field and a running game becomes more important.
Look for some no huddle from the Falcons Sunday to attempt to dictate tempo. I don't think they are going to want to slow the game down unless they are ahead multiple scores (which I think would be a mistake). I think it would be difficult for the Seahawks to keep up in a faster paced game....although that is certainly debatable. But make no mistake the Seahawks' offense has improved as the season has progressed and will be a challenge for the Falcons defense. The Falcons' secondary is underrated so it will come down to the Falcons not necessarily shutting down but containing the Hawks' running game (Lynch, Wilson).
An X factor may very well be the Seahawks' kicking game. I heard that they signed Longwell to kick this weekend. Is this true? If so, they are getting a guy past his prime with limited range who hasn't kicked in game situations this season.
I lean to the Falcons up to -3. Anything juiced at -3 or over would make it a no play.Comment -
Yes they signed longwellComment -
No it won't. 92ypg @ 3.9ypc at home against opponents that allow an average of 118ypg vs 83ypg @ 3.5ypc on the road against opponents that allow 114ypg. They're slightly better running at home, but still bad. Look a little deeper and they got held to under 85 yards 10 times, and three of the games (SD, @PHI, NYG) where they went over 100 were blowouts that were over early so they ran more to eat clock. That leaves only three games this year where they were actually able to establish an effective run game.
Browner/Sherman vs White/Jones on the outside will be a back and forth battle all game. The Falcons receivers will gain yardage on a few big plays, but the Seahawks really excel at preventing those big plays from being taken all the way to the endzone, so ultimately I think the Falcons will look pretty good on offense between the 30s and struggle to convert at the end of the field. Where the Falcons can really hurt the Seahawks is in the slot with Harry Douglas as they've been weaker in protecting the middle of the field against good slot receivers (ie: Welker/Austin/Amendola). I would expect the Seahawks to be very aggressive in hitting the receivers at the line early in the game to try to prevent Ryan from getting into rhythm after 2 weeks off. I also don't think Browner/Sherman will be afraid to take an unnecessary roughness penalty early if they get the chance to land a savage hit on Jones/White. Anything to send a message early.
I will be shocked if Lynch doesn't run for 100+ yards in this game, on the strength of a couple of big cuts. The Falcons defensive line is decent, but like I said above, they're weak in stopping the run. One of my biggest criticisms of the Falcons defense is that they're not great tacklers. They're much better at breaking up plays as they're developing than quickly converging on a ball-carrier that's already in motion. Lynch is exactly the kind of RB that can cause problems for them because he'll power right through the arm tackles. With him as the focal point at the line, Wilson will have multiple opportunities to break out of the pocket and run, just like Cam Newton did against the Falcons this year (202 yards @ 11.2ypc in 2 games). I can't really see the Falcons being able to force the Seahawks into playing one-dimensionally, and that's going to make it really tough for their defense to hold up for the whole game.
I'll be worried when he kicks his first FG, expecially if it's 40+, because he's probably rusty, however he didn't lose his job because he couldn't kick anymore. He just had to give way to a very good rookie. Added to that, playing in the dome negates weather issues, and Seattle really doesn't kick that many FGs (especially long FGs). They have such a solid punt team that they can often rely on playing the field position game, but are also one of the more aggressive teams on 4th down as well. I suspect Longwell will only be asked to make 1-2 FG attempts in this game, and probably nothing over 45 unless it's late in a low-scoring, tight game.Comment -
Fair enough, I'll phrase it in a different manner. The Falcons' home field advantage is more pronounced than many teams, not as much because of the advantage of having home field as the disadvantage of being away from home. I know for a fact that it is much harder to efficently operate a passing game in adverse conditions....crowd noise, weather, etc....than a run first or more balanced offense. The Falcons would not stand a chance in Seattle, SF, or GB....they'd be at least 7 point dogs at all three.
In summary, they can get away with having a pass oriented offense playing at home. Home field advantage is the only way that team can hope to get to the Superbowl.
Your thoughts?Comment -
All great points....I mostly agree. IMO, bottom line is that the Falcons must convert in the red zone....however they do it.....to the point that it takes the Seahawks' running game out of play by the second half. They will have to do this by being aggressive early....no huddle and maybe some gimmickry.
Surprises me that the 49ers or someone else didn't pick up Longwell. A handful of teams passed him up during the season.
I'll have to say that your responses just convinced me to lay off this game completely unless I make a live or halftime play. BOLComment -
I'm taking ATL small personally-- I like them being at home (duhh) and also think the fact that this game has to be played at 1:00 eastern is really bad for Seattle (especially a week after an east coast road trip)Comment -
The Seahawks played nine bottom 20 pass offenses. Everyone wants to talk about the Falcons easy schedule. Well ok then the Seahawks had the easiest pass schedule in the league.
Here is the rankings of the pass offenses they played.
28th
3rd
9th
18th
16th
4th
23rd
2nd
And here is where they became the "hottest" team in the league
31st
30th
26th
29th
28th
25th
23rd
18th
They didn't play a single pass offense in the TOP 18 over the 2nd half of the season. They faced, on average, the 26th ranked pass offense over the 2nd half of the season while facing Christian Ponder, Mark Sanchez, Ryan Tannehill, Jay Cutler, Ryan Lindley, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Colin Kaepernick and Sam Bradford. Not a single top 15 QB in there.Comment -
Of the top QB's Seattle faced, the Seahawks mostly held them under their season averages in terms of passing efficiency.
Brady: 6.7 yppa (avg 7.6)
Stafford: 6.8 yppa (avg 6.8)
Rodgers: 4.7 yppa (avg 7.8)
Newton: 3.7 yppa (avg 8.0)
Kaepernick: 6.4 yppa (avg 8.3)
Romo: 6.2 yppa (avg 7.6)
Cutler and Tannehill had better days, but I don't consider them top QBs. Stafford also probably doesn't deserve to be included either. Either way though, the top guys all underperformed against this Seattle defense relative to the level at which they're expected to play, both in their own performance and in how they were able to convert total offense into points (other than Stafford). Ryan averages 7.7 yppa, but he's got a tough challenge ahead of him.Comment -
Ryan had 6.93 yppa last year in SEA. He seems to have some good experience against this SEA defense.Comment -
Yeah's he's fared pretty well against the Seahawks in 2 career games. Seattle has been steadily improving defensively over the last 2 years though. I really don't think he hits his season average in this game, but I don't think it's unreasonable to predict he should be just under 7 yppa for ~275 yards on 28/40 passing, and maybe 85 yards of run support.
I suspect Atlanta will try to establish the run early so if the Seahawks can win at the line early without getting caught over-pursuing Ryan in the pocket, Seattle can put a lot of pressure on him to make some big throws to sustain drives.Comment
