Point spread, storylines, predictions and more

The Seattle Seahawks head into their Week 7 road game after losing three straight games to the Atlanta Falcons. This came after Seattle opened the season with a 3-0 record under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald.

Seattle can’t afford this snowball. That’s especially true after last week’s disheartening home loss to division rival San Francisco 49ers.

As for the Falcons, they are a surprising 4-2 this season. New quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​​​is playing at an MVP level. Atlanta appears to be a real contender for the conference title in the NFC.

Here I preview the matchup between the Seahawks and Falcons with a look at the point spread, game information and some top storylines. At the end I will also give a final prediction.

Seahawks-Falcons preview: Point spread, TV info and more

• Date: Sunday, October 20th
• Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
• TV: FOX
• Point distribution: Falcons (-3.0)

Top storylines for the Seattle Seahawks-Atlanta Falcons matchup

Seattle simply can’t afford to miss a fourth game in a row. Of course, the team needs to avoid a loss to the Falcons, who will also be fighting for a playoff spot. This is where the running game needs to go a step further.

Speaking of Atlanta, they are 4-2 this season and have won three games in a row. That included a stunning 38-20 victory over the weak Carolina Panthers last week. Can cousins ​​and co. keep up at home? These are some of the key storylines for this big Week 7 matchup.

The Atlanta Falcons want to continue their momentum

As mentioned above, Atlanta has won three straight after a 1-2 start to the season. This included wins against division rivals New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers.

Atlanta now leaves its division where the team is 1-2 this season. One has to wonder if the team’s quick start to the season has more to do with competition than anything else. After all, the NFC South has been one of the worst divisions in football over the years.

“We’re talking about running away from the South,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris told reporters after last week’s win on the team’s official website. “You have the chance to get three wins in a row in the south. That’s always great and that’s what we want to achieve.”

Hence a big home game with a Seahawks team that desperately needs a win. After this matchup, Atlanta will have to compete with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys in the next two weeks. If the Falcons can get through this three-game stretch with a 6-3 record, it will tell us a lot about them. It starts on Sunday against the Seahawks.

Seattle Seahawks rushing attack

Much has been made of Seattle’s problems on the ground during this current three-game losing streak. It coincided with Geno Smith being forced to pass a lot more than the Seahawks would have liked.

Smith attempted 52 passes in last week’s loss to the 49ers. During the losing streak mentioned above, he averaged around that amount. It’s not sustainable. This is also one of the reasons why Smith threw two big interceptions against San Francisco.

“Well, we definitely tried (running the ball). I think we ended up with about 20 (rush attempts). It’s really a team statistic because if you’re behind by multiple points deep into the second half, you’re not going to be able to run the ball,” Macdonald told the Seahawks’ official website after last week’s loss. “It just is. So we will continue to work on it. Finding our identity. I mean, that’s one on the list of things we’re going to attack in the next week.”

So far this season, Smith has accounted for about 25 percent of the Seahawks’ rushing yards. Sophomore Zach Charbonnet is struggling with 3.8 yards per rush. Starter Kenneth Walker is getting back into game shape after missing several games earlier this season due to injury. Both will have to strengthen themselves starting Sunday in Atlanta.

“Kirk Cousins ​​shines for the Atlanta Falcons early in the season”

Although Cousins ​​put up some eye-opening numbers, he was heavily vilified during his six-year tenure with the Minnesota Vikings. He failed to lead them to playoff success. For many, Cousins ​​struggled when it mattered most.

However, that didn’t stop Atlanta from handing the four-time Pro Bowler a four-year, $180 million contract last spring.

Boy, did it pay off after six games. Cousins ​​enters Sunday’s matchup having thrown for 1,598 yards and nine touchdowns compared to five interceptions. He expects Atlanta to average nearly 25 points per game, up from under 19 per game last season.

Young wide receiver Drake London has also found great music with Cousins. The former first-round pick caught 38 passes for 428 yards and four touchdowns in six games.

Facing a Seahawks defense that has given up big play after big play, I’m curious to see how Atlanta’s balanced offense fares in this game.

The Seattle Seahawks defense needs to step up

Last week, Seattle gave up 228 rushing yards to the 49ers. The week before? Totaled 175 rushing yards in a loss to the New York Giants. There were also big plays in the passing game against Seattle. That included a 76-yard touchdown strike from Brock Purdy to Deebo Samuel last week.

This device simply wasn’t good enough in six weeks.

“I think that’s just kind of the overall content of what we did on defense. “You can’t have 10 people communicating with each other and doing the same thing, that’s what killed us,” said Julian Love, security officer. This week I have to communicate with the people who need to be in the right places so they can do their jobs go the right way.”

Game-changing plays like Samuel’s touchdown have been all too common against this Seahawks defense of late. That needs to change if Seattle wants to emerge from Atlanta with a win while ending its three-game losing streak.

Prediction of the Seahawks at the Falcons

I like that Atlanta maintains its home-field advantage here. His attack proved to be balanced. Considering how much the Seahawks have struggled against the run, expect a big game from Falcons running back Bijan Robinson. This will also clear a path for Cousins ​​through the air.