Slumping Seahawks in Atlanta to face surging Falcons
(AP) -- The Atlanta Falcons are going for their fourth straight win as they host the slumping Seattle Seahawks at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Falcons completed a run of three straight wins against the NFC South with a 38-20 triumph at Carolina last weekend, bolstering hopes of their first winning season and playoff appearance since 2017. The Seahawks started the season with three straight victories, but now they're mired in a three-game losing streak. The defense has been hit hard by injuries and struggled to stop the run.
Seattle (3-3) at Atlanta (4-2)
Sunday, 10 a.m. PDT, Fox
BetMGM NFL odds: Falcons by 3.
Series record: Seahawks lead 12-7.
Against the spread: Seahawks 1-4-1; Falcons 3-3.
Last meeting: Falcons beat Seahawks 27-23 on Sept. 25, 2022, at Seattle.
Last week: Seahawks lost to 49ers 36-24; Falcons beat Panthers 38-20.
Seahawks offense: overall (7), rush (29), pass (1), scoring (13).
Seahawks defense: overall (19), rush (27), pass (10), scoring (25).
Falcons offense: overall (8), rush (21), pass (6), scoring (11).
Falcons defense: overall (17), rush (25), pass (9), scoring (15).
Turnover differential: Seahawks minus-6; Falcons 0.
Seahawks player to watch
QB Geno Smith. The Seahawks signal-caller will be looking to bounce back after throwing a pair of interceptions and missing some big throws in the loss to the 49ers. While Smith did pass for 312 yards — his third game this season with at least 300 yards through the air — the completion rate (30 of 52) was his lowest of the season.
Falcons player to watch
TE Kyle Pitts. He had three catches for 70 yards against the Panthers, including a 52-yarder, and shows signs of becoming the sort of playmaker he was coming out of college. It marked the first time since Pitts' rookie season in 2021 that he has put together back-to-back games with more that 55 yards receiving.
Key matchup
The Falcons running game vs. the Seahawks defensive front. The Falcons have an impressive 1-2 punch in the backfield with Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. Robinson ran for 95 yards and two touchdowns at Carolina, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. Allgeier tacked on 105 yards and a score, averaging 5.8 yards each time he touched the ball. They'll be facing an injury-filled Seahawks defense that gave up 228 yards on 33 carries to the 49ers — the third straight week Seattle has allowed big yards on the ground. The Seahawks are allowing an average of 144.7 yards rushing per game.
Key injuries
The Seahawks placed CB Artie Burns (toe) and S Rayshawn Jenkins (hand) on injured reserve. … The defense already lost OLB Uchenna Nwosu (thigh), who went on IR last week. … CB Tre Brown (ankle) and RT Stone Forsythe (hand) were both ruled out after being injured in last week’s game against the 49ers. … CB Riq Woolen (ankle) will miss his second straight game. … Rookie DT Byron Murphy II (hamstring) was set to return after missing the past three games. … Falcons OLB Lorenzo Carter (concussion) and ILB Troy Andersen (knee) are out. … Atlanta could be thin at the back of the secondary. S Justin Simmons (hamstring) was questionable and S Micah Abernathy (knee) went on IR. … CB Antonio Hamilton Sr. (back) was also questionable.
Series notes
While Seattle leads the series, the Falcons have won seven of the past 11 meetings. That includes a pair of playoff victories, the most recent coming during the 2016 season when Atlanta prevailed 36-20 in the divisional round on the way to just the second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.
Stats and stuff
After starting the season 3-0, the Seahawks have lost three in a row. … The Falcons, on the other hand, are riding a three-game winning streak after a 1-2 start. … Atlanta is off to its best six-game start since also beginning the 2016 campaign at 4-2. … Falcons QB Kirk Cousins leads the league with three game-winning drives. … Until the relatively easy victory at Carolina, Atlanta had won each of its games with a score in the final minute of regulation or overtime. … WR Darnell Mooney already has three touchdown catches, equaling the number he produced the past two seasons combined with the Bears. … K Younghoe Koo has made 65 consecutive field-goal attempts of 40 yards or shorter. For his career, he has just two misses in 102 attempts from 40 yards and in. … Atlanta ranks last in the NFL with five sacks. … CB A.J. Terrell had an interception against the Panthers, his first since Week 17 of the 2021 season. … Seahawks P Michael Dickson’s 48.1-yard average is second best in NFL history. … WR Tyler Lockett is the second player in Seattle franchise history after Steve Largent and 113th player in NFL history to reach 8,000 yards receiving. … Lockett needs one 100-yard game to tie Darrell Jackson for second most in franchise history with 19, and three touchdowns to pass Marshawn Lynch for third place on Seattle’s career TD list with 67. … Smith needs one more 300-yard game to tie Matt Hasselbeck for second place in team history for most 300-yard performances in a season.
Fantasy tip
Given the Seahawks' poor performance against the run and all their injuries on the defensive side of the line, this could be a chance for Robinson to put up the biggest numbers of his career. He hasn't gone over 100 yards rushing since Week 4 of his rookie season in 2023.