Rolling through a stretch of games that had the Atlanta Falcons playing both Super Bowl participants from last season in back-to-back weeks, the gauntlet continues and the Falcons are going for a clean sweep. On the strength of wins over Carolina and Denver, Atlanta has built a cushy lead over the rest of the NFC South entering its Week 6 contest against the Seattle Seahawks. It was about this time last year the Falcons began to stumble but they could have some staying power this time around.
Watch this regular season Week 6 matchup live on Sunday, October 16, 2016, at 4:25 p.m. ET at CenturyLink Field.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Atlanta Falcons +5.5
Seattle Seahawks -5.5
Over/Under 46.5
Odds Analysis
The Falcons have played as an underdog in each of their last four games and won them all outright. Going into Seattle, they’ll be spotted the most points in any of those games. Atlanta has some believers, especially with the points, as 75 percent of the early wagers have been on the visitors. It’s a good time to jump on the Falcons with the line likely headed down before kickoff.
Injury Report
Deion Jones – Atlanta’s starting linebacker missed Sunday’s game in Denver with an ankle injury and his status is uncertain. The Falcons survived his absence thanks to a healthy pass rush, but if he’s unable to play against Seattle, look for Jimmy Graham to become a bigger part of the Seahawks’ offense.
Mike Morgan – Seattle’s starting strong side linebacker was put on injured reserve to recover from a sports hernia. His absence won’t impact the defense too much since the position is sacrificed for nickel alignments. But Morgan is a key special teams performer and coverage on kickoffs and punts could be compromised.
Coaching Angle
It’s hard to say just who has the edge in the head coaching matchup. Dan Quinn was Seattle’s defensive coordinator for two seasons before taking the head job in Atlanta prior to 2015. Seattle made two trips to the Super Bowl during Quinn’s stay in the Pacific Northwest, winning after the 2013 season and losing to New England following the 2014 campaign. It’s safe to say Quinn has had plenty of experience facing Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offensive schemes during the team’s practice sessions.
But Pete Carroll also knows what to expect defensively from the Falcons since he worked with Quinn for a total of three seasons in Seattle. Quinn was on the staff as a defensive assistant when Carroll was hired prior to the 2010 season. But Quinn was the architect of the Legion of Boom and with his weapons on offense, you know he will try to exploit whatever weakness he can find.
Free ATS Pick
We saw this last season from the Falcons. They won their first five games and were 6-1 before falling off the cliff and missing out on the postseason. It was a nice first year for Quinn, getting the Falcons to .500 after the team managed 10 wins total in the two seasons before his arrival. It just didn’t feel like it after they won just two of their final nine games. Quinn said his main objective was to get his team believing they were good enough to compete at a high level every week. Atlanta made a few changes during the offseason, but for the most part the key components are the same and Quinn has been successful in changing the culture. It also helps that Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are on his side.
Atlanta used a lot of its resources to build a defense that Quinn could mold in the style of his units in Seattle. Three of their top four picks in the draft were used on defensive players and each one is a main contributor, though the group has been thinned with Jones and De’Vondre Campbell nursing injuries. Seattle used its bye to get Wilson and Tyler Lockett healthy and the offense is diverse enough to cause Atlanta problems. It’s also going to be difficult for the Falcons to put up the points needed for a victory. Atlanta is for real and the points are tough to pass on, but the Seahawks will get the victory.
NFL Odds: Seahawks 26, Ravens 23
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