Seahawks (5-2) at Falcons (1-6)
Seahawks schedule
W ........ Cincinnati ........ 21-20 W ..... at Pittsburgh ..... 28-26 L ...... NewOrleans ...... 33-27 W ........ at Arizona ........ 27-10 W ........ L.A.Rams ........ 30-29 W ...... at Cleveland ...... 32-28 L ......... Baltimore ......... 30-16 Oct. 27 ........ at Atlanta ........ 1 Nov. 3 ..... Tampa Bay ..... 4:05 Nov. 11 at San Francisco 8:15 Nov. 17 ............... BYE .............. Nov. 24 at Philadelphia 8:20 Dec. 2 ..... Minnesota ..... 8:15 Dec. 8 ... at L.A. Rams ... 8:20 Dec. 15 ....... at Carolina ....... 1 Dec. 22 ....... Arizona ....... 4:25 Dec. 29 San Francisco . 4:25
Falcons schedule
L .... atMinnesota .... 28-12 W .... Philadelphia .... 24-20 L ... at Indianapolis ... 27-24 L ...... Tennessee ...... 24-10 L ...... at Houston ...... 53-32 L ....... at Arizona ....... 34-33 L ....... L.A. Rams ....... 37-10 Oct. 27 ........ Seattle ........ 1 Nov. 3 .............. BYE .............. Nov. 10 . at New Orleans . 1 Nov. 17 ..... at Carolina ..... 1 Nov. 24 ..... Tampa Bay ..... 1 Nov. 28 New Orleans 8:20 Dec. 8 ........ Carolina ........ 1 Dec. 15 . at San Fran. . 4:25 Dec. 22 .... Jacksonville .... 1 Dec. 29 . at Tampa Bay .. 1
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, MercedesBenz Stadium, Atlanta
TV: Fox
Danny Sheridan’s by 31⁄2
Seahawks’ keys to victory: Get out to a fast start and stay aggressive. Seattle’s offense is as balanced as they come, while Atlanta’s defense can be attacked effectively both through the air and on the ground. The Falcons’ secondary is vulnerable to giving up the big play, so look for the Seahawks to take deep shots to WRs Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. If Seattle can get out to an early lead, the Falcons should struggle to play catchup, as they have all season.
Falcons’ keys to victory: Air the ball out with QB Matt Ryan (assuming he plays). The Falcons have the weapons to be one of the most potent passing offenses in the NFL with TE Austin Hooper and WRs Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Calvin Ridley. The Seahawks rank near the bottom of the league in passing yards allowed per game. Defensively, Atlanta must slow down RB Chris Carson and get QB Russell Wilson on the ground when it has the chance. Getting Seattle to settle for field goals is the only way the Falcons will stay in the game.
Matchup to watch: Pete Carroll vs. Dan Quinn. The head coaches are extremely familiar with each other’s styles from their three seasons working together in Seattle. The Falcons have won two of three meetings with the Seahawks since Quinn took over as head coach.
Who wins? Expect a high-scoring game between two good offenses, but the Falcons will have trouble containing Wilson, who’s playing some of the best football of his career. Atlanta must pressure Wilson or things could get ugly.
Seahawks, 31-28 line:
Seahawks