The Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks squared off on Sunday, exchanging back-and-forth blows in a match that resulted in a 38-25 victory for Seattle.
Atlanta opened with the ball and drove 44 yards in just under four minutes, settling for a field goal to take the early lead. The Seahawks answered, however, with an 11-play drive culminating in a touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Chris Carson. Just four minutes later, Seattle scored again after a turnover on downs for the Falcons quickly led to a 19-yard touchdown strike, again from Wilson to Carson.
Atlanta got the ball back at the end of the first quarter and found itself in the end zone early in the second quarter as Todd Gurley powered through the defensive line into the end zone. Younghoe Koo missed the point, so Atlanta trailed by five. The next five drives (three for Seattle, two for Atlanta) took a total of 20 plays, with all resulting punts before Atlanta finally added a field goal as time expired in the first half.
At halftime, Seattle led by just two, 14-12.
Seattle opened the second half with the ball and powered through a 10-play, 75-yard drive as DK Metcalf found the end zone on a 38-yard pass from Russell Wilson. Two minutes later, Seattle got the ball back on a fumble. This occurred on a fourth-and-two play in which the Falcons tried to convert on a fake punt. Safety Sharrod Neasman received the direct snap and powered through for the first down (and additional yardage) before coughing up the pigskin. Five plays and 36 yards later, Seattle scored again as Russell Wilson delivered his fourth touchdown pass of the game, this time coming on a seven-yard strike to veteran tight end Greg Olsen. The Falcons’ next drive had potential but came to an abrupt ending when they were unsuccessful on fourth down in the red zone.
Seattle got the ball back with one minute left in the third quarter and drove 57 yards in just under four minutes. The drive culminated in a fourth-quarter field goal from Jason Meyers to give Seattle the three-possession lead. Atlanta then went 75 yards in just under two minutes as Matt Ryan connected with Calvin Ridley for an 18-yard score. Their two-point try was unsuccessful, so they trailed by 13 with 9:38 to play. Seattle’s next drive ended in a punt, but Atlanta saw similar luck as their 35-yard drive resulted in a turnover on downs. The Seahawks then got the ball back and took two-and-a-half minutes off the clock, ultimately scoring as Carlos Hyde snuck through for a one-yard touchdown. The Falcons weren’t ready to go down with a fight, though; they drove 75 yards in 3:12 before Matt Ryan hit Calvin Ridley for a seven-yard touchdown. Down by 13, the Falcons attempted an onside kick. Koo, one of the best at this type of play, converted yet again, but Ryan was picked off by Quandre Diggs and the Seahawks secured the 38-25 victory, moving to 1-0.
Wilson led the Seahawks in rushing as he tallied 29 yards on the ground. He completed an impressive 31 of 35 passes for 322 yards and four scores through the air. Tyler Lockett caught all eight targets for 92 yards while DK Metcalf hauled in four of eight passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. Chris Carson added 45 yards and two scores on six catches.
Todd Gurley was the clear rushing king in Atlanta as he notched 56 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries. Through the air, Matt Ryan dazzled, completing 37 of 54 passes for 450 yards, which marked the most passing yards for a quarterback this week. He added two touchdowns, both to Calvin Ridley, as well as one interception. Ridley, Julio Jones, and Russell Gage each caught nine passes on 12 targets, with Jones leading in receiving yards (157). Ridley picked up 130 yards while Gage had 114. Offseason acquisition Hayden Hurst caught just three passes on five targets for 38 yards in the loss.
Highlight Reel
.@DangeRussWilson wanted it all đĽ
A perfect throw to @dkm14 for the touchdown on fourth down!
Q3: SEA 21, ATL 12 pic.twitter.com/gK6r0Nzgqk
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 13, 2020
Already making an impact. đ@Prez gets the sack! pic.twitter.com/hhP5LohQT0
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 13, 2020
On that last drive, #MattyIceâď¸ passed John Elway to move into 9th place all-time on the NFL passing list.
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 13, 2020
Seattle will host the New England Patriots next ween for an 8:20 p.m. bout on NBC while the Falcons travel to Dallas for a 1:00 p.m. clash with the Cowboys on FOX.
Check us out on our socials:Â
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page:Â Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group:Â Prime Time Sports TalkÂ
Instagram:Â @ptsportstalk
Follow Andersen Pickard on Twitter @AndersenPickard
Main Image Credit:Â
