After taking over 1st place in the NFC South courtesy of a 3-0 run in the division, the Atlanta Falcons welcome the Seattle Seahawks to Mercedes-Benz stadium on Sunday.
At 3-3, the 'Hawks sit atop the NFC West, tied with the San Francisco 49ers but are headed in a vastly different direction. After their 3-0 start, the Seahawks have dropped three straight.
Seattle sits in the middle-bottom of the NFL in several key defensive stats. As a result, the Falcons can feast on Seattle's weaknesses, provided that they can enter the game with another solid game plan and execute to the best of their ability.
No More Legion
The last time the Seattle defense dominated, it was the Legion of Boom that terrorized opponents. Under a three-deep shell, that defense used zone and a LEO, a hybrid defensive end-linebacker position used to unleash havoc. Now, the current version of the defense operates a 4-3 Under scheme.
In this defense, it looks almost like a 5-2. With the strongside 'backer hovering near the line of scrimmage, the intent remains clear. The Seahawks want to dominate the line of scrimmage. Not just sniffing out the run, but pressuring the quarterback into mistakes, possible sacks or turnovers.
The 4-3 Under can morph into a 3-4 with the left end dropping into a two-point stance with his hand out of the dirt. For the first-three games of the season, this defense held teams to 14.3 points per contest.
In the three ensuing weeks, the competition got better, and the defense imploded, surrendering 31 points per contest.
Run at Rushers
Derick Hall, a second-year man out of Auburn, provides the Hawks their pass rush aspect, pacing the team with five sacks in his first season as a starter. Hall knows one direction, upfield. Zac Robinson can definitely exploit this. Targeting Hall in the run game makes sense for so many reasons.
First, Hall does not flourish in stopping the run. He struggles with shedding and despite excellent burst, doesn't close on the ball carrier. At 255 pounds, he's a little light on the defensive line. Most importantly, Hall continues to battle a foot injury that could limit him.
Next, running at Hall and players like Boye Mafe will pay dividends later. Forcing them to contact blockers in the run game will eventually drain them of their energy. While Seattle possesses size on the defensive line, they cannot get to the boundary, and struggle with stringing the play out.
Pitts Start
Kyle Pitts may not find a more favorable matchup during this entire season. The Seahawks safeties can cover ground. However, teams will pick on them. Tight ends like Hunter Henry, Theo Johnson, and of course, George Kittle gave the defense fits this season. Tight ends have caught at least four passes against Seattle in three-consecutive games.
Of the aforementioned names, Pitts presents a better deep threat down the seam that any of them. Atlanta can absolutely exploit this mismatch for the entire game. Seattle understands that sliding a corner over to shadow Pitts, the vacated spot would see a matchup between Drake London and a nickel/dime corner.
On December 26, 2021, Pitts scorched the Lions for six catches and 102 yards, his last 100-yard receiving day, a stint of forty-two games.
Bottom Line
The Falcons, on paper and execution should definitely thrive against the Seahawks. Seattle, beset by injury and poor execution, lines up perfectly for Atlanta to not only post big numbers but emerge victorious.
The Falcons in recent weeks proved their explosive offense is not a product of smoke and mirrors. In fact, they line up their best versus anyone's best, including the defending world champions without hesitation.
Momentum, despite critics saying the contrary, remains a real part of the game. And the Falcons have a lot of it right now.
