Analyst: If Seahawks take early lead, ‘it’s over’
Jan 9, 2013, 6:05 PM | Updated: 6:07 pm
By Brady Henderson
Teams with prolific passing offenses are better equipped to play from behind than, say, one that relies more on a strong running game.
That didn’t stop the Seahawks from erasing a 14-0 deficit en route to beating Washington in the wild-card round. Seattle set a franchise record for rushing yards in a playoff game while completing just 15 passes for 187 yards.
The Falcons, Seattle’s divisional-round opponent, have one of the league’s better passing attacks, ranking sixth in passing yards and fifth in touchdown passes during the regular season.
Despite that, NFL Network analyst Jamie Dukes doubts their ability to come back if they were to fall behind to the Seahawks.
“If they get up early, it’s over. Have a nice day, Atlanta Falcons,” Dukes told “Bob and Groz” on Wednesday. “The Falcons’ line is not built to handle that pressure.”
The Falcons allowed just 28 sacks this season, tied for seventh-fewest in the league. They were 29th in rushing but still finished seventh in scoring. Could their offensive line really be that bad?
Dukes, a former offensive lineman himself, thinks so. He believes some of that unit’s deficincies are masked when the Falcons keep opposing defenses off balance, which is more difficult to accomplish when playing from behind.
The video below includes additional thoughts from Bob Stelton and Dave Grosby.
You can listen to Wednesday’s podcast here.
