Atlanta Falcons: View from Seattle: Seahawks busting myths?
Did Marshawn Lynch and the Seahawks bust some myths at Washington? (Mark Slocum/AP)
The Seahawks won 24-14 at Washington on Sunday and, according to Danny O’Neil of the Seattle Times, busted three “tired, outdated or just flat-out wrong” myths in the process.
Here’s O’Neil’s take with the AJC’s comments:
I. Seattle is wasting a championship-caliber defense.
This was the chorus in September after the Seahawks scored fewer than 20 points in four of their first five games. . . . Well, Seattle’s offense has come a long way since then, its relentless ground game combining with an increasingly aggressive game plan for its effective young quarterback to create an efficient, above-average NFL offense.
Comment: Can’t fade that analysis. Those 42 points the Seahawks hung on the 49ers speak volumes even when accounting for a blocked field goal for a touchdown. Sure, the Cardinals had eight turnovers in a 58-0 defeat but it’s rare for any NFL team to give up that many points (and the Falcons didn’t exactly light it up against Arizona). Seattle also put up 50 points on Buffalo–yeah, the Bills are bad but, again, NFL teams only get shredded like that every once in a while.
It’s worth noting, however, that two Seattle’s scoring outbursts came at home (more on that below). Seattle’s offense huffed and puffed to a 20-13 victory against the lowly Rams in the regular-season finale. And the Seahawks managed just 24 points against Washington’s lackluster defense in spite of holding the ball for more than 34 minutes and getting two turnovers.
II. Seattle is not built to come back from big deficits.
This is a logical assumption given the Seahawks’ propensity for running the ball. . . . But Sunday was the third time this season Seattle found itself down by double digits, and the second consecutive time it came back to win. The Seahawks trailed the Patriots by 13 points in the fourth quarter and scored two touchdowns in the final nine minutes to win in October. At Washington, the Seahawks were more methodical, running their way back into the game.
Comment: O’Neil notes that the Seahawks scored first in 13 of its 16 regular-season games so there’s not much to go on. But coming back from down 14-0 in a playoff road game is legit. Of course, the Falcons have been making comebacks all season.
III. The Seahawks can’t win on the road.
There was a time you could make this argument. That, however, was in November when Seattle had lost five of six games on the road, and each of Wilson’s interceptions had occurred away from Seattle.
And while it’s true Seattle hadn’t won a road playoff game since 1983, it’s also true that 44 of the 53 players on Seattle’s roster weren’t alive when that streak started. So while it’s easy to make road games seem like this franchise’s bogeyman, it’s not exactly accurate after Seattle won at Chicago on Dec. 2 and beat Buffalo in Toronto two weeks later.
Comment: It’s not so much when the streak started as the fact the Seahawks had lost playoff road games in 2006, ‘07 and ‘10. But probably shouldn’t put too much stock in the past after that victory at Washington. (Also, if history is the focus, then note that the Seahawks won at least one playoff game each of the last five times they qualified for the postseason while the Falcons . . . well, you know.)
Still, Seattle’s victories at Chicago and Toronto can’t quite erase the memories of ugly flops at Arizona, St. Louis, Detroit and Miami. It’s one thing for the Seahawks to win at Washington, which barely won the mediocre NFC East; they’ll have to reach another level to win at the Georgia Dome, where the Falcons have been tough under coach Mike Smith.
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135 comments Add your comment
Doit!
January 8th, 2013
12:47 pm
Falcons secondary is second to no one left in the playoffs; including their highly over rated, media inflated opponent on Sunday.
We really don’t wanna hear about them. This playoff game is about us. It really doesn’t matter who they are.
Angry Bird
January 8th, 2013
12:48 pm
we will be bring old school smash mouth football…hoping the dirty birds dont make it too easy for us…blow outs do not increase play..they kill it…we need a tough game before playing for the NFC Championship…and the Dirty Birds are just our doormat….you will be blaming the refs or something after this ones in the books…instead of manning up and saying you got beat by a better team….start saying your hail mary’s now Dirty Bird fans..Angry Birds got your number…
Chipmunk
January 8th, 2013
12:48 pm
Falcons are ready to play. Question is, which Falcons team will show up – the one that crushed the Giants or the one that looked helpless against the Buccaneers.
J-RO
January 8th, 2013
12:49 pm
No one wants to play Seattle. The 1st 4 weeks of the season they struggled since then there playin the best football in the league. They also played a much harder schedule the the falcons which is the only reason there the #1 seed. You ATL fans should jump on the Atlanta Hawks bandwagon cuz thats the only team thats gonna win a playofff game this year
2Birds
January 8th, 2013
12:59 pm
Should be a close game down the end, I believe the Hawks matchup well with the Falcons, but it’s the NFL, if you’re playing this weekend, you team has a chance and is probably good.
Big Al
January 8th, 2013
1:03 pm
Seahags won’t have replacement referees to help them this time.
Esquire
January 8th, 2013
1:06 pm
Randall, you’ve massaged the percentages just a little. Wilson’s would be 2.5445292%
Ryan’s would be 2.2471910%, Not to get technical or anything.
As far as INT’s over the last 8 games is really irrelevant…………..Ryan had more completions than Wilson even had attempts. We also had some games with their own irrelevance. I can appreciate your digging into that but if your numbers are even correct it means nothing.
Toots
January 8th, 2013
1:13 pm
MC,
Thanks for this. You need to cover the Falcons permanently. Ledbetter’s coverage is disgraceful and i cannot remember the last time he actually posted a blog here rather than simply posting one of his articles for comments.
BTW, do you have a twitter handle now that you stopped covering the Hawks full time?
hawks4life
January 8th, 2013
1:14 pm
i dont see why you falcons fans cant give up credit where credit is due.. i grew up watching both teams falcons my dads and seahawks mine i dont care who wins the superbowl as long as its one of those teams, but from what i see you guys are all a bunch of idiots seattle is a much better team all around record may not show it but the falcons have done nothing to impress me this year but come back from behind all season think about that.
Esquire
January 8th, 2013
1:15 pm
Fly little bird, fly to Washington, flap those wings. It’s a long long way.
Fly little bird, fly home to Seattle, flap those wings, it’s a long long way. Don’t be weary.
Fly little bird, fly to Atlanta, flap those wings, it’s a long long way. Don’t be weary.
Fly little bird, fly home to Seattle, flap those wings, ever so weary, it will be the longest flight you ever had.
WE ARE THE MIGHTY MIGHTY FALCONS!!!!
Seahawk Nation
January 8th, 2013
1:17 pm
Lets see how many Hawk haters are left on here after the game…I hope Matt Ryan throws to Sherman’s side more than twice like the Redskins game.
Matt Ryan has as many playoff wins as me…LOL
fishlure
January 8th, 2013
1:21 pm
The Rams are not lowly! Who do you think you’re kidding? The NFC west is one of the toughest divisions and the Rams defense is actually up there with some of the most sacks in the league.
Toots
January 8th, 2013
1:26 pm
Hawks4life, speak English and maybe then you can be taken seriously. Otherwise, keep up your incoherent rambling.
fishlure
January 8th, 2013
1:26 pm
The Rams are not lowly. Terrible commentating in this article. I think this game will be a lot closer than anyone expects. It’s not necessarily the winning record that proves the better team. It will be a battle of defensive Seattle versus offensive Atlanta. Should be a good one!
Bird Fight Watcher
January 8th, 2013
1:30 pm
I love football this time of year, everything is so emotional fighting for the big game. Truly this will be a fantastic game to watch. It will be fun to watch receivers and corners fight this one out. Wilson has defied the odds this year, and it will be a tall order for him to help bring the hawks to another playoff victory. I think this will be a close game and the hawks will need Wilson to perform his best ever to pull this one off. The Falcons need, and want this one more than most teams would. The Seahawks know about home field advantage being 8-0 at home this season. This gives ATL a big boost that could be the deal breaker here. Either way, I am happy for the success of the Hawks this year and I can’t wait to see this game.
Nostradumbass
January 8th, 2013
1:31 pm
Seattle’s rookie has won more playoff games than your supposed veteran…Matt Ryan is puckering already…Matt’s gonna have a pick six and get his butt planted all day long…Seattle is going to wear you down…You just can’t match their physical play…It will become apparent quite early…You’re going to suffer for having two weeks off…Georgia Dome is a joke…Hostile environment?…Hardly,..Seattle’s D is going to feed off of it. I can’t wait to see the looks on the faces of the fans as they realize they are out matched in all phases of the game. You may get some yards passing but you won’t get the points…Your offense is one dimensional and your D is weak…Seattle is clearly a more complete ball club and they are playing the best ball of anyone going into the playoffs as opposed to your Falcons who sputtered at the end. Shut out the Giants?…Big deal…they aren’t even a playoff team. The Seahawks have the Falcons exactly where they want them…over confident and favored. I’ll be back to check on one of the worst fan bases in sports…just to rub it in.
Esquire
January 8th, 2013
1:31 pm
hawks4life
January 8th, 2013
1:14 pm
i dont see why you falcons fans cant give up credit where credit is due.. i grew up watching both teams falcons my dads and seahawks mine i dont care who wins the superbowl as long as its one of those teams, but from what i see you guys are all a bunch of idiots seattle is a much better team all around record may not show it but the falcons have done nothing to impress me this year but come back from behind all season think about that.
*************************************
Talk about not giving credit where credit is due. We are 13-3, you are 11-5 (with help from the officiating crew I might add). What an idiotic thing to write: ‘Seattle is a much better team all around though the record may not show it’. You’re just stupid man.
You are going to get your asses handed to you Sunday.
Esquire
January 8th, 2013
1:45 pm
Nostradumbass
January 8th, 2013
1:31 pm
Seattle’s rookie has won more playoff games than your supposed veteran…Matt Ryan is puckering already…Matt’s gonna have a pick six and get his butt planted all day long…Seattle is going to wear you down…You just can’t match their physical play…It will become apparent quite early…You’re going to suffer for having two weeks off…Georgia Dome is a joke…Hostile environment?…Hardly,..Seattle’s D is going to feed off of it. I can’t wait to see the looks on the faces of the fans as they realize they are out matched in all phases of the game. You may get some yards passing but you won’t get the points…Your offense is one dimensional and your D is weak…Seattle is clearly a more complete ball club and they are playing the best ball of anyone going into the playoffs as opposed to your Falcons who sputtered at the end. Shut out the Giants?…Big deal…they aren’t even a playoff team. The Seahawks have the Falcons exactly where they want them…over confident and favored. I’ll be back to check on one of the worst fan bases in sports…just to rub it in.
***********************************************
Come on back now, ya hear?
Just make sure you stop by after the game on Sunday.
You don’t need the Nostra in your name, you are just a dumb ass.
Weren’t those NY Giants the defending Super Bowl Champions…..? Yep, I thought so. Wasn’t that the first time they had been shut out since 1996. Yep, I thought so.
Big Hawk
January 8th, 2013
2:05 pm
Matt Ryan 141 yards rushing. Russell Wilson 489 yards rushing. Not many talking about this stat. Ryan may have more completions than Wilson’s attempts, but the rushing game is where the big difference is. Hawks have 2500+ ground yards vs Falcons 1300.
All that aside though, stats don’t win games. 13-3, 11-5 none of that really matters.
“in football, any team can win on any given Sunday.”
Vu Ḉa Avant
January 8th, 2013
2:06 pm
I don’t see Atlanta being over confident. You have the #1 seed hosting the #5 seed, and what’s the point spread? No, that’s just the Atlanat fans running their mouths. Of course, they are used to making an early exit out of the playoffs, so they are going to run their mouths as much as they can now, cause come next Sunday afternoon, all they’ll be doing is licking their wounds and assigning blame. Who will get the blame this time? Stay tuned, but my guess is that it will be their HC and his predictable bone head decisions.
CW
January 8th, 2013
2:22 pm
Atlanta, get ready for some of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLYyPXVZemc
Hi Hard One
January 8th, 2013
2:23 pm
Something to consider about Seattle is that they were slowly intergrating their offense to Russell Wilson piece by piece as he learned to grasp playing in the NFL. All the seasonal stats go out the window once Pete Carrol handed to entire offensive package to RW. Their first half of the season compared to their finish shows two different teams. Frankly, I think Wilson was ready for the whole package from the start but things seem to have worked out fine for the Seahawks.
It’s going to be a tough game for the Falcons, Speedy receivers and utilizing TG in a way the Seahawks might not be ready for is the only hope. And with Earl Thomas back at free safety that advantage gets just a bit smaller.
1 n done
January 8th, 2013
2:23 pm
Tick Tock!! Tick Tock!!! Tick Tock!!!!
Esquire
January 8th, 2013
2:33 pm
Replacing Clemons @ DE will be 2012 Seattle First Round Draft pick Bruce Irvin. He was born in Atlanta.
He dropped out of high school in his junior year from Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain.
DraftScout says Seattle reached on this pick.
Say what
January 8th, 2013
2:33 pm
“Nostradumbass” — that has to be the most accurate screen name I have ever seen.
Atlanta Falcons playoffs rewind: Steve Bartkowski | Atlanta Falcons
January 8th, 2013
2:43 pm
[...] View from Seattle: Seahawks busting myths? [...]
Angry Bird
January 8th, 2013
2:59 pm
Esquire?…your unemployed, right?…over confidence can kill a job interview too…and lose you a football game…and you wont have the rookie refs to save YOUR team this weekend…and Michael (burn one) Turner…wont see 60 yards rushing…he is done…look at his season…so you have 2 good wide outs…whoopee…we have 2 dangerous corners…hope your receivers health insurance isnt Obamacare…a couple shots from Sherman and they wont be wanting the ball again…we already have one play off road win…and you?…uh huh…thought so…I just want to see a good game…may the best team win….and I dont care who you root for…the winner WILL BE the best team..
Toots…thats all you got?????? really?…a grammer Nazi?
Murph
January 8th, 2013
3:00 pm
Straight scoop….Vegas has the #1 seed falcons as a 2.5 home favorite to a SEA team that comes from a small market, and apparently does not play well on the road. We take every game seriously….and smack talk is fun and all, but ATL is NOT happy that we are coming to town right now…RG3 lit us up early, and then WASH had NOTHING. We have a ground and pound game and a quick QB that is going to be screaming all over the Georgia Dome turf. If SEA limits the deep ball, ATL is toast.
tidog
January 8th, 2013
3:08 pm
@ Murph “If” I had a million dollars I wouldn’t need a job.
Murph
January 8th, 2013
3:11 pm
@tidog, as in you would be bettin SEA to cover? Smart man. One of the NV sportsbooks was on KJR today talking about how SEA has been busting Vegas all year…they cant favor other teams too heavy because SEA either wins or covers. ATL at 2.5 is a TERRIBLE omen for ATL, #1 seed to #5 seed, and less than a standard homefield advantage.
d
January 8th, 2013
3:38 pm
We can all dream Murph.
ASHCAN!!!!!!
January 8th, 2013
3:39 pm
@ jay(shaneenee) Don’t know any seahags, but i do know the falcons fight song and they been saying it since 1966, and it’s “WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR!!”. That’s what i’ve been hearing these falcon fans say year in and year out. What will be there excuse when they come up short this year??? Jay says the falcons are 7-1 at the dome this year, yea true, but what’s there POST season record at home???? that’s what count you jock strap sniffer. LOLOLOL
J Dawg
January 8th, 2013
4:02 pm
Great article. I’m a big Hawks fan but this article is right on. This should be a good game, and though I have a lot of faith in the young and talented Hawks team, the Falcons aren’t nearly getting the respect they deserve. I’m stoked for a good game. Go Hawks.
J Dawg
January 8th, 2013
4:03 pm
Great article. I’m a big Hawks fan but this article is right on. This should be a good game, and though I have a lot of faith in the young and talented Hawks team, the Falcons aren’t nearly getting the respect they deserve. I’m stoked for a good game. Go Hawks.
Playoff matchup: Falcons’ pass offense vs. Seahawks’ pass defense | Atlanta Falcons
January 8th, 2013
4:04 pm
[...] View from Seattle: Seahawks busting myths? [...]
Interesting
January 8th, 2013
4:12 pm
This game is definitely interesting. Falcons havent been great against the run (or the pass really) this season, but they still somehow finished the season top 5 in fewest pts allowed. Seattle has had a great defense against both the run and pass. That being said, Atlanta’s achilles is a good pass rush (which seattle was avg at and will be even less of a threat with injury) and Roddy, Julio and T Gonzalez will be the best three players on the field Sunday. Seattle will move the ball on the ground, but wont be able to keep up if Matt Ryan stays upright.
Esquire
January 8th, 2013
4:23 pm
Angry Bird
January 8th, 2013
2:59 pm
Esquire?…your unemployed, right?…over confidence can kill a job interview too…and lose you a football game…and you wont have the rookie refs to save YOUR team this weekend…and Michael (burn one) Turner…wont see 60 yards rushing…he is done…look at his season…so you have 2 good wide outs…whoopee…we have 2 dangerous corners…hope your receivers health insurance isnt Obamacare…a couple shots from Sherman and they wont be wanting the ball again…we already have one play off road win…and you?…uh huh…thought so…I just want to see a good game…may the best team win….and I dont care who you root for…the winner WILL BE the best team..
************************************************
JSS………………that you? ROFLMAO
WE ARE THE MIGHTY MIGHTY FALCONS!!!
mykeeb33
January 8th, 2013
4:54 pm
Your recievers will have that Kam Chancellor hit on Vernon Davis running through their minds as they tread downfield. No one hits harder then the Seahawks back four.
Juan N Dunne
January 8th, 2013
5:01 pm
Dirty Bird #1 Fan
Go Seahawks!
January 8th, 2013
5:52 pm
Chris Watson says Seattle is overrated and Falcons have more playmakers then the Seahawks? LOL LOL LOL!! Who besides Jones and White are “play makers”?! I can make a long list of Seahawks who are play makers. Fact is Atlanta could win the game but I don’t see them doing it. I’d say Falcons have 1 position they’re clearly better then the Seahawks, thats WR, but the Seahawks WR’s are play makers too. QB and TE are close. The RB, OL, FB, DT’s DE’s S CB’s are much better on the Seahawks! Seahawks won 11 games, Falcons 13. Seahawks play in the best division in football so those 11 wins are more impressive then the 13 wins against cream puff teams. Seahawks are the only team that hasnt allowed a team to score 30 or more this season in 1 game. I’ll say Seahawks 31 Falcons 20. I won’t guarantee a win because any given Sunday but if we play the way we have the past 6 weeks we should win
Jay
January 8th, 2013
5:58 pm
Are Falcon fans supposed to be intimidated by douche-bag fans from another team talking trash on an ATL newspaper blog? LOL at some idiot who won’t even be on the field boldly predicting a road playoff win from a keyboard. Get back to your Madden 2012…..
Slightly Dirty Bird
January 8th, 2013
6:51 pm
Just need to be cautious. Yes, their #1 sack guy Clemons is out but #2 is his replacement, Bruce Irvin. Be confident but not over confident and play mistake free football. Seattle played 5 games against playoff teams (four different teams) compared to only 2 for ATL. There’s some truth behind their swagger.
Interesting
January 8th, 2013
7:20 pm
Who are these play makers for Seattle? Roddy (1300 yrds receiving), Julio (1100 yrds receiving) and Tony G (930 yrds receiving) all have significantly better stats than the best supposed playmaker on Seattle (Sidney Rice 748 yrds receiving). Zach Miller, the TE supposedly “close” to Tony G, only had 396 yrds receiving (thats third on the team!). Jac Rodgers (Falcons RB) has more receiving yards than that. Seattle has ZERO scary playmakers outside of Lynch, not to mention that they run a vanilla scheme.
On D, Seattle is a very good D (#1 in fewest pts allowed), but ATL is not a pushover (5th). Its not like the Falcons are total garbage. Atlanta will have the best pass rusher between the two teams now that Clemens is out (Abraham) and also a stout secondary (more INTs than Seattle’s). If Seattle is going to trot out 240 pound Bruce Irvin on anything but third and long he is going to get abused. The birds will run it right at him.
Seattle has a great D and a great running back, but ATL has advantages too.
Atlanta Falcons: David Caldwell named Jacksonville’s general manager | Atlanta Falcons
January 8th, 2013
7:23 pm
[...] View from Seattle: Seahawks busting myths? [...]
Plucked Falcon
January 8th, 2013
8:02 pm
ATL will need to bring most blitzes from the outside to counter Russell Wilson’s scrambling. How the Dirty Birds react to the play action will be key.
12thmanNorth
January 8th, 2013
8:59 pm
Falcons = Easiest strength of schedule
Seahawks = Toughest strength of schedule
What’s the deal with Stubhub having 100’s of tickets for under $100/seat to get into a Divisional playoff game?? Nice fanbase in Atlanta….Clearly not an NFL city…No 12th man…Your all beat!
You couldn’t find a seat under $225 for a regular season game in Seattle against the Niners!!
12thmanNorth
January 8th, 2013
9:04 pm
INTERESTING – How has Atlanta been good against the Pass? They rank 23rd against the pass…Great, you have more Int’s…your Rush D is 21st too…Your D is below average
Hey Now
January 8th, 2013
10:26 pm
Okay Seahawks fans. You have been posting a lot of smack. That is fine as long as you return to own up on Sunday! I will be at the game (season ticket holder), so I will be looking for your comments when I get home. Funny, last Sunday I went to your paper (seattletimes.com)…ya’all didn’t sound too confident in the first quarter. Funny how a comeback win ( yes, it was a comeback but against a skin with one leg) all of a sudden make you guys a dynasty the way you throw smack around. Oh, and as far as the crowd at the Dome, maybe after the 2nd false start penalty, you may change your statement of the weak Dome crowd. Keep drinking the Kool-Aid you, along with the rest of the media is lavishing on you. Remember, come back and own up Sunday evening. Easy to throw smack around until you have to pay up. So Seahawks fans, are you man enough to show back up…or are you all a mouse? Squeak, squeak! We’ll see!
Atlanta Falcons: Russell Wilson’s game has the respect of Smith, Nolan | Atlanta Falcons
January 8th, 2013
11:40 pm
[...] View from Seattle: Seahawks busting myths? [...]
Hi Hard One
January 8th, 2013
11:43 pm
I just gotta say that as a Seahawk fan visiting the AJC that you all have some really nice writers down in Atlanta. with some great perspectives. You Falcon fans have a lot of passion and I am happy you have such a great sports town.
Here is a nice column by a Seattle writer that sums up what sets Seattle apart from last year, or even from the first half of this season.
http://seattletimes.com/html/jerrybrewer/2020081556_brewer08.html
I think we are in for a great game and if your Falcons beat my Seahawks I will pull for them to win it all in the Super Bowl.