FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Falcons enter into Week 7 on a win streak of three games. All three of those wins have come against NFC South opponents. Atlanta, it would seem, is trending in the right direction. However, the story for the opponents coming into town this weekend is a different all together.
After starting the year 3-0, the Seattle Seahawks are on a three-game slide, dropping their last three games to get them to 3-3 overall in 2024.
With kickoff a day away, let's take a look at some of the key storylines as this Week 7 matchup inches closer.
Injury update
The Falcons will officially be without inside linebacker Troy Andersen and outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter. This is the third game the Falcons will not have access to Andersen after he left the team's Week 4 game against the Saints with a knee injury. Fortunately for the Falcons, though, Nate Landman has returned to full strength after being elevated from injured reserve prior to the Falcons' game against Carolina last week.
As for Carter, what started out as a designation for an illness early in the week turned into the outside linebacker being placed in the league's concussion protocol after further evaluations. He did not practice for the Falcons this week. In his place, Atlanta could deploy more of Arnold Ebiketie and/or James Smith-Williams to work opposite Matthew Judon.
Also on the team's game report was starting safety Justin Simmons, who is questionable with a hamstring injury.
Simmons did practice this week in limited fashion with head coach Raheem Morris saying Friday they'll take a little more time to make an official decision about Simmons closer to game time.
If Simmons can't go, or is limited in his reps, the obvious insertion into the lineup is backup safety Richie Grant, who has started 32 games for the Falcons in his four-year career. Since the Falcons went out and acquired Simmons, Grant has played a more rotational — or situational — role. How much he is needed will be known once the Falcons' inactives report comes out 90 minutes prior to the start of Sunday's game.
As for the Seahawks, they'll be without some important figures in the secondary: Cornerbacks Tre Brown and Riq Woolen have ankle injuries while safety Jerrick Reed II was ruled out with a knee injury. This is an important development seeing as we will talk more about the Seahawks' secondary later on.
A similar game plan?
In the last two games, the Falcons' game plan has been simple in theory: Take what the defense is giving you.
Against the Bucs two weeks ago, they sold out to stop the run, so Kirk Cousins threw for 509 passing yards. Against the Panthers last week, they eased up with some light boxes up front, so Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson combined for 200 rushing yards.
So, what does this mean for the Falcons prepping for the Seahawks? Well, I tend to think it could look a little bit like what it did against the Panthers.
The Seattle run defense ranks towards the bottom of the league. On average, they're giving up five yards per play on the ground. What's more, though — as noted in this week's Nerdy Birds edition — the Seahawks have allowed a league-high 6.3 yards per carry on designed runs when playing with light boxes this season. So, in theory, the more the Falcons can convince the Seahawks they're going to challenge them downfield via the pass, the more the run game should open up, which is exactly what happened against the Panthers last Sunday.
Stopping Geno
The Falcons know pass rush is an area of concern in 2024. Though they are not in panic mode to fix it yet, there does need to be a since of urgency in applying pressure to the quarterback. Especially when talking about one Geno Smith, who's captaining a very impressive (and league-leading) Seahawks passing offense.
As Will McFadden pointed out in the podcast Friday, there's a distinct difference in Smith's productively when he has a clean pocket vs. his production when he doesn't.
Smith — when kept clean — has a 61.7% success rate. When he is under pressure, that percentage drops to about 30%, which ranks outside the top-20 in the league. So, it's not rocket science to pick up what I am putting down. And if you're the Falcons? You gotta be looking at these numbers, too.
Something else that should be monitored in regard to pass rush is the fact the Seahawks will be starting a rookie at right tackle this coming Sunday. Not only that, but per reports out of Seattle, the right tackle they are starting (Mike Jerrell) is the team's fourth-string tackle as injuries have plagued the position.
This is as good a chance as any for Falcons edge rushers to pin their ears back and win some one-on-ones.
Seattle's strength
I told you earlier we'd be talking about the Seahawks' secondary, and here we are.
For as good as the Falcons' secondary has been in 2024, the Seattle secondary has been just as good for their team, too. The Seahawks lead the league in forcing three-and-outs, and a major part of that is how they've been able to keep opposing quarterback and receiver duos from finding any real rhythm against them.
However, as noted in the very first section, the Seahawks will be without three very important pieces of this secondary come Sunday. Most notably is the impact Brown and Woolen's statuses have on the unit. But another injury impact is the placement of former starting safety Rayshawn Jenkins on injured reserve this week, too.
All three of these players have had significant impact on the Seahawks' defensive success this year and accounting for their absence will be a challenge, especially going up against a Falcons' passing attack that has started to really click in the last couple weeks. It would seem that coming into this game that Seattle's most notorious strength has weakened. Can the Falcons exploit it?
Continuing to limit explosives
Even in losses, one part of the Seahawks' game that hasn't faltered too much has been their own passing attack. Smith is currently leading the league in passing yards and attempts. Seattle wants to throw the ball and throw the ball often seeing as they've seen success time and time again when doing so.
It should come as no shock to anyone that D.K. Metcalf has surpassed 100-yards receiving in exactly half of the games the Seahawks have played this year. But one can't forget the roles Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba play, too, particularly Lockett, who's trajectory is swinging upward in every game he's played since an off 15-yard day in Week 2.
It's not going to be a secret what the Seahawks want to do. Nor will it be a secret the Falcons secondary wants to stop it. What is a secret is exactly who prevails.
Player of the Game prediction: Drake London
Though I said the Falcons' game plan could look similar to the run-the-ball-often mentality of last week, I am still sniffing around another productive day for London.
Because of the injury bug going through the Seahawks' secondary, and knowing they will be relying on backups and practice squad elevations to help out Devon Witherspoon, I think this week is as good a chance as any to send some passes London's way. Not that Cousins hasn't already been doing so, mind you.
London is a mismatch through and through, but he's been particularly intriguing as an option out of the slot recently, where the mismatch he presents defenses only grows. That, and he's trending in a healthy direction with Cousins as his quarterback. He's been Cousins' favorite targets through the last few weeks, averaging double-digit targets through the last three games. He's only had one 100-receiving yard day, but that doesn't mean the 64 he had against New Orleans or the 74 he had against Carolina weren't impactful. You weren't watching the game if you think differently.
Because of how many options Cousins has at his disposal between London, Kyle Pitts, Darnell Mooney, Ray-Ray McCloud and even Robinson and Allgeier, 60-plus yards for one receiver in this offense is notable and welcomed.
Can London do it again? And can he get in the endzone again, as well? Because he is one touchdown away from surpassing his career-high in touchdown receptions. Which actually says a lot considering we're in Week 7, but it really does speak to London, his connection with Cousins and the way offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is finding ways to put both in the right position to be successful.
