Seattle Seahawks Game 3 opponent preview – Atlanta
Chris Phillips
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Examining the Atlanta defense
Atlanta is 0-2 this season, but they could easily be 1-1. The Falcons blew a lead against division rival New Orleans in Week 1 to lose by one point. That defeat led to head coach Arthur Smith’s epic post-game speech. According to our friends at Pro Football Reference, here’s how the Falcons’ defense ranks.
- 19th in yards allowed with 722.
- 24th in yards per play, yielding 6 (tied with Seattle).
- 8th in takeaways with 4.
- 21st in allowing first-downs with 42.
- 22nd in passing yards given up with 506.
- 14th in rushing yards given up with 216.
- 29th in the percentage of drives that end in scores at 45.5.
Atlanta is tied for 12th with five sacks, tied for 21st with 10 QB hits, and 16th for the percentage of pass plays that end in a sack. They are not anywhere close to being a stout defense. These numbers bode well for the Seattle Seahawks offense.
Pete Carroll talked about opening up the offense more for quarterback Geno Smith. This week is a great time for the coach to back up his words. That means it’s also a great week for Metcalf to have his best game.
A good passing game should open up the run. Rashaad Penny will get the majority of the carries, and he should outperform what he did in the first two weeks. This game should also provide a nice opportunity to get a good look a rookie running back Kenneth Walker III.
One of Rashaad Penny's best runs from Monday. He slips through two arm tackles and then has room to operate with Abe Lucas washing the linebacker out of the play with a nice second level block. pic.twitter.com/vs0sXammFX
— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) September 14, 2022