Headlines for the Seahawks Week 7 Game against the Falcons
Seahawks Today Lead Writers: Shrihun Sankepally and Nevin Tamilselvan
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Seahawks OL vs Falcons DL
The Seahawks offensive line is now down to its 4th-string right tackle, Division-2 athlete Mike Jerrell. Stone Forsythe, the right tackle above Jerrell on the depth chart, struggled greatly this season as he gave up 35 pressures, the most by any player in the NFL. Jerrell has shown he can be physical and stay true to his technique, something the Seahawks could use as one of the worst run-blocking offensive lines in the NFL. Connor Williams did not allow a pressure last game and has looked to regained form as an elite center in the NFL. Charles Cross, after having a strong start to the season, has played decently the last few weeks but is far from the most glaring problem on the team. Laken Tomlinson and Anthony Bradford have struggled greatly this season, and will likely be the limiting factor for the team. Meanwhile, the Falcons defensive line has one of the lowest pressure rates in the NFL this season. However, Grady Jarrett is still a top-tier defensive lineman in the NFL, and will provide a tough challenge for a weak Seahawks interior offensive line. If the Seahawks can hold up in the run game, this could open up the offense in ways many fans expected to happen this season.
Check out our pre-training camp interview with Mike Jerrell:
https://www.seahawks-today.com/JerrellPreTrainingCampInterview
Seahawks DL vs Falcons OL
The Seahawks defensive line will be getting back Byron Murphy this week. Murphy was the most double teamed player in the entire NFL prior to his injury. When a defense gets a player like that back, improvements are likely to be seen. If the Falcons double team Murphy, others like Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed should have solid games against a strong Falcons offensive line. Stopping the run should be a priority, and could allow the Seahawks rush the passer more freely and record pressures and sacks. If Murphy isn’t fully healthy or the Falcons are able to dominate the line of scrimmage, this could be a continuation of the Seahawks defense the past 3 weeks. Jarran Reed has put up a few quality games after starting the season slowly. Dre’Mont Jones has as well, though has played a lot of EDGE with injuries across the defensive line. Leonard Williams looked elite against the 49ers, often beating Trent Williams while lining up as an EDGE. The Falcons have Chris Lindstrom who is one of the best offensive lineman in the game. Jake Matthews has been a reliable starter for them, while they have gotten strong play from their line amidst a 3-game win streak.
Seahawks CBs vs Falcons WRs
The Seahawks have ruled Riq Woolen as out for the game against the Falcons. Woolen has been one of, if not the best cover player in the NFL this season. Witherspoon will be CB1, and has played well after a slow start to the season. Tre Brown, the Seahawks CB3 is out. Artie Burns, the Seahawks CB4 is also out. This means the Seahawks are down 3 of their top 4 cornerbacks. Nehemiah Pritchett is likely to be the starter across from Witherspoon, with Coby Bryant also expected to play cornerback given his experience at nickel for the Seahawks in 2022. This could be a very difficult game for the Seahawks who may need to deploy their CB5 and CB6 this game.
The Falcons have a wide variety of talent at wide receiver. Drake London has had a good season during the Falcons 3 game winning streak, including recording 228 yards and 2 TDs in the last 2 weeks. Darnell Mooney has also been a good receiver this season, posting upwards of 300 receiving yards this season. Ray-Ray McCloud has been good for the Falcons as well, posting upwards of 250 yards. A talented wide receiver room facing off against a depleted Seahawks cornerback room. If the Seahawks can not get pressure on Kirk Cousins, this could be a very difficult match for the Seahawks cornerback room who may need to deploy a rookie and conerback-converted-safety as two of its top three cornerbacks.