The Opposing View: An Insider's Look At The Seahawks' Week 7 Opponent, The Atlanta Falcons

Five questions from Seahawks.com about this week’s opponent; five answers from AtlantaFalcons.com senior reporter Tori McElhaney.

Oct 16, 2024 at 12:01 PM

John Boyle

Seahawks.com Senior Reporter

The Seahawks are back on the road in Week 7, traveling to Atlanta to face a Falcons squad that has won three straight under new head coach Raheem Morris. To help you get ready for this week's game, Seahawks.com reached out to AtlantaFalcons.com senior reporter Tori McElhaney with five questions about this week's opponent.

Like the Seahawks, the Falcons made a coaching change this offseason. What has Raheem Morris brought to the organization that has players, fans, the organization, etc. excited about him?

McElhaney: Morris carries himself with an energy and vibe that matches not only what the organization needed, but also — I think — what the city of Atlanta is. Morris has a big personality and a charisma that people gravitate towards. I know a lot of coaches say they are a player-first coach, but when Morris says it, I believe it because I have seen it in action. The players really enjoy playing for him. They vibe with him. They like him. And this is something that has followed Morris wherever he's gone, whether it be when he was with Tampa Bay, Atlanta (the first time) or out in L.A. It may sound cliché but that matters, and it's shown up in every conversation I have had with a player since the moment Morris stepped foot in the building.

The Falcons rushed for 198 yards after finishing with fewer than 90 rushing yards in each of the past three games. Did the run game become more of an emphasis or was that just more the result of a particular matchup/game situation?

McElhaney: It was probably a byproduct of facing the Panthers and their game plan as much as anything.

If you go back and look at how Tampa Bay played the Falcons, they were loading the box and selling out to stop the run. So, the Falcons went to the air and Kirk Cousins broke a franchise record for passing yards in a single game (509). The Panthers took note of that, and it showed up in Carolina not deploying too many loaded boxes. They also were not a top-ranked run defense to begin with, so the Falcons had to know going in this could be an avenue to exploit. The run game opened up as a byproduct of all of this. In the last two weeks, the Falcons have shown they can take what defenses are giving them whether it be through the air (like it was against the Bucs) or on the ground (like it was against the Panthers).

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What has the presence of quarterback Kirk Cousins done for the offense since joining as one of the biggest free-agent signings of the offseason?

McElhaney: Cousins is the point guard the Falcons needed. He knows how to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers, which sounds simple, but it was not something the Falcons have consistently had at the quarterback position since Matt Ryan was traded to the Colts three seasons ago.

You don't have to look very far to see Cousins' impact. Just look at Drake London's numbers. He's third in the league in receptions and he has tied his career high in touchdown catches, and we're only six games into the season. The last four games have London averaging just under 90 receiving yards per game. He's been targeted more than 10 times in three of those four games. You absolutely can (and should) give London his flowers, but this goes back to the Cousins Effect, too.

The Falcons have a league-low five sacks. Is the pass rush a big concern at this point, or is it a case of getting pressure and affecting quarterbacks but just not getting the sack numbers?

McElhaney: It is a concern, because you raise a good point about pressures and affecting the quarterback vs. pure sack numbers. Every defensive coach will tell you that they'll live if pressure rate is up, but sack numbers aren't quite there. If pressure rate is solid, it still means that they're affecting the quarterback. However, the Falcons — to this point — don't have a good pressure rate, either.

Atlanta is 31st in the league in quarterback pressures (49) and that levels out to a rate of 23%, which is last in the league in that category. The Falcons have to figure out ways to see more production here and they have to do so quickly because it could be a real difference-maker (or breaker) for this team in tight games.

What matchup or matchups are you most looking forward to seeing play out on Sunday?

McElhaney: I have to stick with the run game here. The Falcons' rushing attack with Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson turned a productive corner last week. The offensive line is playing with a lot of confidence right now. With Seattle's run defense ranking towards the bottom of the league and giving up an average of 5.0 yards per rush (which is a half yard more than Carolina), I think this is an area where the Falcons can (no pun intended) stick their foot in the ground and gain some yards.