Seattle Seahawks Week 7 scouting report versus Atlanta Falcons

The Seattle Seahawks travel 2,500 miles this Sunday to take on an Atlanta Falcons team that has won three straight games to put itself into a tie with Tampa Bay atop the NFC South. As every Hawks’ fan knows, Seattle is moving in the opposite direction, having lost three straight to fall back into a tie with San Francisco in the NFC West.

Can Mike Macdonald get his struggling team turned around when they visit Mercedes-Benz Stadium? No one yet knows the answer. Macdonald is a first-year head coach, so everything is new to him.

Let’s get a quick preview of the 2024 Falcons who await Seattle this Sunday. (And yes, Atlanta's offense should be scary to 12s.)

What should the Seattle Seahawks expect from the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7?

Falcons last year

Atlanta entered the 2023 season with high hopes. They had been stockpiling weapons on offense in recent drafts. They had a decent offensive line and an underrated defense. The only major question came at quarterback, a position they were struggling to address after parting company with Matt Ryan after the 2021 season. Marcus Mariota couldn’t get them home in 2022.

Last year, it would be second-year QB Desmond Ridder’s turn. They started the season 2-0, and Ridder had them 4-3 entering a game with Tennessee. However, he hadn’t been playing especially well, and when he was battered by the Titans’ ferocious pass rush, backup Taylor Heinicke took over.

Heinicke and Ridder traded off starts the rest of the season, and due to mediocre play in the division, Atlanta remained in contention for the playoffs until late. Then, two bad losses to Chicago and New Orleans ended their season on a sour note. They lost those two games by a combined 51 points. Coach Arthur Smith was fired at the end of the season.

Falcons offseason

Atlanta replaced Smith with veteran defensive-minded coach Raheem Morris. Morris had been the Falcon’s interim head coach in 2020 before they chose to move forward with Smith. He, in turn, brought in new offensive and defensive coordinators. Then general manager Terry Fontenot hit the free agent market pretty hard.

Fontenot signed marquee defensive names like edge rusher Matt Judon and safety Justin Simmons. He brought in wide receivers Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud to add to the offensive firepower. But the single biggest thing the Falcons did this offseason was taking the plunge on a high-cost veteran quarterback. They shelled out 180 million dollars on 36-year-old Kirk Cousins, who was recovering from a torn Achilles in 2023.

In the draft. Fontenot shocked most of the league by choosing quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. with the eighth overall pick. Some excellent players at positions of need were available, but Fontenot passed them over for what he hopes will be the Falcons QB-of-the-future once Cousins is done. It was a bold move, and the Falcons won’t know whether it will be worth it for at least several seasons.

In later rounds, the GM tried to add some beef to the Falcons defensive front. So far, none of those mid-round picks have shown anything. Pass rusher Bralen Trice tore his ACL in the preseason and linemen Ruke Orhothoro and Brandon Dorlus have had negligible impact.

Falcons this season

Atlanta lost their opener to Pittsburgh in an ugly game which saw Cousins look very rusty. Both the team and the QB rebounded with a tough come-from-behind win over Philadelphia in Week 2 and then acquitted themselves rather well in a close loss to the Super Bowl champion Chiefs in Week 3.

Then came the three straight wins over each of their NFC South rivals - tough, close victories over New Orleans and Tampa and an easy win over division doormat Carolina last week. They have been competitive in every game this season and seem to be finding a formula for success under Morris and Cousins.

That formula begins with a two-headed running attack featuring the very dangerous Bijan Robinson and the bruising Tyler Allgeier. The two have combined to rush for over 660 yards through the first six games. Robinson is a threat every time he touches the ball, whether on a run or a pass. And Allgeier has proved to be a difficult change-of-pace back for opposing defenses, averaging a very healthy 5.5 yards per carry despite usually pounding the ball right up the gut. Seattle's iffy run defense will be tested.

Cousins has done what he has always done. He is not mobile, but he knows how to deliver the ball to his playmakers. He has helped Drake London develop into a genuine number-one receiver. London has the size and talent to be elite, and now in his third season, the former first-round pick has begun making big plays week in and week out. Cousins has even helped revive the disappointing early career of tight end Kyle Pitts.

Pitts was supposed to be the next superstar tight end when he was chosen fourth overall in 2021, but he has been mostly invisible through his first three seasons. This year, though still just an option behind London and the running backs, the former Florida Gator has begun making some big plays for Atlanta, flashing some of that talent that had scouts drooling back in 2021. If OC Zac Robinson is able to continue finding ways to get Pitts involved, the Falcons offense gets scarier.

Atlanta’s offensive line has solid veterans like Jake Matthews and Kaleb McGary at tackle and youngster Matthew Bergeron at guard. None are world beaters, but none are weak links. Right guard Chris Lindstrom, coming off back-to-back Pro Bowls, is their best lineman. Center Ryan Neuzil, filling in for injured starter Drew Dalman, has been the weakest part of the line.

Thus far, the Falcons have been a mid-level offense, but they have shown some signs of improving. As Cousins gets more comfortable with his new team, his passing efficiency should improve. Most importantly, Atlanta can run and pass with equal efficiency. Their running game utilizes both speed and power. Their passing attack can strike from many angles.

Mooney has proven capable of getting deep. McCloud, known mostly as a kick returner through his career, is dangerous on screens and other plays designed to get him in space. Robinson and Pitts are just supremely gifted athletes who can catch the ball, and London can do anything you would want from a receiver. If Cousins can continue to improve, this can be a very dangerous offense.

On defense, they have also been a middle-of-the-road unit so far, but I’m not sure there’s a lot more upside to be found. Judon has yet to establish a pass rush, and though veteran Grady Jarrett and promising young vet James Smith-Williams can make plays, they don’t have a dominant front seven. The same applies to young linebackers Kaden Elliss and Troy Anderson. They are athletic and active but have yet to prove they can take control of games. The Falcons can be run on.

Atlanta has a very solid secondary, relying on young veteran cornerback A.J. Terrell to set the tone. Mike Huges has been a respectable second corner, while Justin Simmons has teamed with Jessie Bates III to form a very good safety tandem. Good offenses can attack the Falcons defense, but they will not break easily. They have been finding ways to keep games close and give their offense a chance to win.

And if the offense can’t pull it out, Atlanta boasts one of the better kickers in the league in Younghoe Koo. He can hit from distance and is converting his field goals at just under 90 percent, which matches his career average. He atoned for his rare pair of misses against Tampa by booting a 52-yarder as the clock expired to send the game to overtime.

That came one week after he hit a 58-yarder with two seconds left to beat New Orleans. That kick marked the eighth time since 2021 that Koo won a game for the Falcons with a field in the final ten seconds.

Seattle does not want to let this game come down to a Younghoe Koo kick in the final seconds.

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