Voice of Falcons details 5 things to know about Seahawks’ Week 7 opponent
Oct 18, 2024, 7:56 AM | Updated: 9:26 am
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Seattle Seahawks are looking to end their three-game losing streak this weekend.
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They’ll have to knock off an Atlanta Falcons squad that is riding a three-game winning streak to do so.
Seattle (3-3 record) travels to face Atlanta (4-2) on Sunday morning at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a homecoming for first-year Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, a University of Georgia alumnus.
Falcons radio play-by-play voice Wes Durham joined Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob on Wednesday and shared his insight on the Seahawks’ next opponent.
Flair for the dramatic
Atlanta’s three-game winning streak make it one of the hottest teams in the NFL. Just three teams in the league are on longer heaters, but the Falcons have had to scratch and claw for a couple of those victories.
The win streak started with a last-second, 58-yard field by Younghoe Koo to topple the previously undefeated New Orleans Saints, then quarterback Kirk Cousins capped a massive 509-yard night with a walk-off, 45-yard TD pass to KhaDarel Hodge to edge the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime. Last week’s 38-20 win over the struggling Carolina Panthers was a much more comfortable victory.
Atlanta’s first win of the season in Week 2 was also a nail-biter. Cousins led a game-winning touchdown drive in the final minutes to avoid squandering a late lead and top the Philadelphia Eagles 22-21.
“They’ve had a flair for the dramatic because, except for Sunday (against the Panthers), everything went to the wire,” Durham said. “… But that’s really kind of the momentum ride they’ve been on.”
Captain Kirk
After immense offensive struggles with 2022 third-round pick Desmond Ridder behind center last season, the Falcons made one of the biggest splashes in free agency by signing 36-year-0ld veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract.
The investment has paid some early dividends as Cousins has a league-high three game-winning drives and is fourth in the NFL with 1,598 passing yards. He’s completed 66.7% of his passes with nine touchdowns and five interceptions.
“Kirk Cousins, to be honest with you, has come in here and done Kirk Cousins,” Durham said. “I mean, he’s come in and hit two-thirds of his passes, he’s built the rapport with the receivers, he’s brought some culture with him. And after 14 years of Matt Ryan here, we went through two years where we didn’t have a lot of quarterback connectivity, if you will, and Cousins has sewn that up pretty good.”
A special talent on offense
Atlanta made a big investment at running back last year when it selected Bijan Robinson at No. 8 overall, making the Texas product the highest-drafted running back since Saquan Barkley went No. 2 overall to the New York Giants in 2018.
Robinson is a threat as runner and a receiver, amassing 380 yards and three touchdowns rushing while adding 161 yards on 21 receptions.
“He’s a problem on the field because obviously he can catch the ball out of the backfield, but he’s a make-you-miss guy and he put some guys a year ago on posters,” Durham said. “More people have kind of been attuned to that this year, but he’s still very capable.”
Robinson makes up the more electric half of the Falcons’ one-two punch in the backfield. Bruising running back Tyler Allgeier is averaging 5.5 yards per carry and is coming off a 105-yard performance against Carolina.
The pair will provide a big test for a Seahawks run defense that’s allowed the sixth-most rushing yards per game this season.
Who to watch on Falcons’ defense
The defensive side of the ball has been a struggle for the Falcons this year, but they still have a few of impact players who could swing the game.
Durham highlighted safety Jessie Bates III as the leader of the unit. Bates, a second team All-Pro last season, has 27 solo tackles, two forced fumbles and an interception through six games in 2024.
“He kind of sets the tone defensively from the back, and a lot of guys follow him and he’s been a mentor to guys like (second-year cornerback) Clark Phillips, who had an interception last week,” Durham said. “Certainly (cornerback) AJ Terrell has benefited from Jesse being here, but he’s also helped these young guys playing like at linebacker like Troy Anderson, who’s on the shelf on and won’t play this week. … He got hurt early last year and then came back through the year and he talked in camp about Jesse Bates’ influence.”
Durham also pointed to veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and safety Justin Simmons. Jarrett, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, has four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks this season. Simmons, a four-time All-Pro, tied for NFL lead with six interceptions in 2022 and has had three or more interceptions in each of the past six seasons.
Third-down woes
Atlanta’s Achilles heel thus far has been third downs on both sides of the ball.
The Falcons are 23rd in the league with a 34.4% third-down conversation rate on offense. Meanwhile, the defense is second to last while allowing opponents to convert 48.1% of their third downs.
“The 48% they’re allowing on defense is terrible” Dunham said. “And that third-down thing as a whole, but especially on offense, I think is the big question about where this team can ultimately go.”
Listen to the full conversation with Atlanta Falcons radio play-by-play voice Wes Durham at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-6 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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