Seahawks @ Falcons
Final Score: Seahawks 34, Falcons 14
Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)
A dominant performance in the trenches from the Seattle Seahawks ensured they made big splash plays on both sides of the ball to beat an Atlanta Falcons team that just didn’t show up in their own building with an effective game plan. Geno Smith outplayed Kirk Cousins tenfold as he executed throws at every level and allowed his rushing attack to take over the game on the ground. Kenneth Walker III was outstanding and Ryan Grubb‘s offense was both creative and impactful in different ways.
The Falcons were lazy, unprepared, and disjointed on offense and the defense didn’t have answers without playmaker Troy Andersen to marshal the troops. A bad day at the office with only Bijan Robinson showing his worth with a standout performance on every touch of the football.
Three Up
- Kenneth Walker – an impressive all-around showing with touchdowns on the ground and in the air to make his fantasy managers happy. Walker has total control of this backfield.
- DK Metcalf – terrorizing the Falcons secondary from the very first drive, the star Seattle wideout is starting to impose himself as a go-to receiver in Grubb’s offense.
- Bijan Robinson – the only legitimate threat to cause the Seahawks problems, Robinson showed power, speed, and elusiveness every time he touched the ball. Should be the constant feature of his team’s offense.
Three Down
- Kirk Cousins – a pedestrian performance from the highly-paid Falcons quarterback who was brought to Atlanta so we would not have to watch performances like this. Another bad showing like this and we could see Michael Penix Jr. take over the role.
- Tyler Allgeier – the strength of the Atlanta offense is the run game but both Robinson and Tyler Allgeier were underused against a Seahawks defense that can be vulnerable at the second level to the run game.
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba – after a few promising weeks where he looked to be establishing himself as the clear No.2 in the passing game, Jaxon Smith-Njigba has now finished behind Tyler Lockett in yards and catches the past two weeks.
Seattle Seahawks
Quarterback
Geno Smith: 18/28, 207 Yards, 2 TD | 4 Carries, 15 Yards
After three straight defeats in which Smith had directly contributed to turning the ball over in key situations, he looked focused and ready to work from the off in this crucial contest. Smith worked behind his offensive line with poise and professionalism and delivered the ball to his receivers with precision and consistency. He was rewarded with some good route-running and nice catches from his wideouts but also found the best production from the tight end position he has had all season, which gives this offense an extra string on its bow. It feels like the entire Seahawks season is reliant on Smith’s chemistry with DK Metcalf and today it was cooking on heat.
After the Falcons opened the second half with a score, Smith answered with a vintage 9-play, 63-yard drive that was capped off by a beautiful touch-pass to Walker for a score. Smith answered everything that the Falcons threw at him.
Notes
- Worked around heavy pressure beautifully in the first half, flashing his ability to maneuver out of the pocket and make plays – a bit of nifty footwork on a broken play on third-and-long saw Smith dump it off at the last minute to Noah Fant, who rumbled away for a big 28-yard gain. A couple of plays later the Seahawks scored their first touchdown of the game to go up 10-0.
Missed opportunities
- Connected with Metcalf on a solid opening drive for a big gain after the wideout drew a defensive pass interference call working on A.J. Terrell. Smith put an absolute laser right where his big receiver wanted it on the end zone but the ball bounced off Metcalf’s hands and went incomplete before the Seahawks settled for a field goal. It should have been caught.
- Smith had to sit on a botched snap on third-and-10 in Falcons territory on the second drive of the game as the Seahawks looked to add to their lead – it was a shame as Smith had gone 59 yards in five plays before the drive stalled.
Running Back
Kenneth Walker: 14 Carries, 69 Yards, TD | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 24 Yards, TD
The big question about Ryan Grubb‘s offense is whether it can establish the run game – they keep emphasizing the desire to do so but so far it has yet to materialize. Walker had two productive runs on the opening drive before taking an outside-zone rush to the house for a 13-yard touchdown only to see it called back for offensive holding. The explosive back came into the game with issues with an illness, however, he showed no symptoms at the start of the second quarter when he worked through a lane on the outside and burst away from the Falcons defense for a nice 20-yard run into the endzone. Run game: established!
Walker dominated touches out of the backfield and saw plenty of work with the Seahawks going up big in the fourth quarter. He also handled the passing downs which is a huge benefit for fantasy purposes.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1848077139486335249
Zach Charbonnet: 8 Carries, 19 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, -5 Yards
Hardly used for the majority of the game, Zach Charbonnet came up big with a seven-yard run on a fourth-and-1 on the Seahawks’ opening drive of the second half. Charbonnet is the go-to short-yardage back for Seattle and he made no mistake when called upon. It was key as the Falcons had opened the half with a touchdown and Charbonnet’s conversion allowed his team to go right back down the field and answer the score.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
DK Metcalf: 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 99 Yards
As has been the game plan across the first six weeks of the season, Smith looked to get the ball to Metcalf early and often. He notched up 33 yards over his first two catches and drew a 17-yard defensive pass interference call to go with it. Metcalf continued to dominate the matchup with Terrell and burned his marker down the middle late in the half to break free and put his body on the line for a 31-yard grab for a touchdown. It was just what his performance deserved and gave his team a commanding 10-point lead going into the half. Metcalf had a couple of targets in the third quarter and made a sensational grab deep down the left sideline only to be pushed out of bounds by Justin Simmons. The receiver went down hard on his shoulder and left the game on a cart after trying to loosen it up on the sideline. It is hopefully only precautionary.
https://twitter.com/MikeDugar/status/1848146695454114134
Noah Fant: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 65 Yards
So far this season the Seahawks haven’t really used the tight ends outside of short throws over the middle and between the numbers so it was refreshing to see Fant break out a perfectly-run post-corner route which Smith hit him on for 21 yards early in the game. He had another huge gain on a dump-off in the second quarter to take Seattle deep into Atlanta territory. He added a few short yardage catches too but was hardly seen in the second half.
Tyler Lockett: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 45 Yards
After being held without a catch with just a minute remaining in the first half, Smith found veteran wideout Lockett on back-to-back chunk plays of 15 yards and 16 yards to setup Seattle in Falcons territory with a chance to score, which they did thanks to a dart from Smith to Metcalf. Lockett has seen more work over the past couple of games, eclipsing JSN for involvement. It is hard to rely on the veteran, however, and he doesn’t look to be someone who might nab a score here and there either.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 9 Yards | 1/1, 35 Yards
After a couple a short yardage grabs, Grubb dialed up a reverse backwards pass to JSN who air-mailed a jump ball downfield to Metcalf who made a mountain of himself to come down with a 35-yard score. It proved to be his most valuable contribution in the game as he was held to the second-lowest yardage total of his career through the air.
AJ Barner: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 5 Yards
Jake Bobo: 1 Target
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins: 24/35, 232 Yards, TD, 2 INT, Fumble (Lost) | 1 Carry, -1 Yards
This was a complete no-show from Cousins and the passing game in the first half as the Falcons’ offense looked lethargic on routes and the quarterback himself was both inaccurate and slow in the pocket. The former Vikings signal-caller missed Ray-Ray McCloud on third down on a throw he should have made before dithering in the pocket and taking a big sack from Leonard Williams to stunt a promising drive as the half approached. A zipped throw into a tight window to Drake London on the opening drive of the second half looked to have kick-started Cousins’ passing – the throw putting Atlanta in the red zone and the two connected on a fourth-and-1 two plays later for a touchdown. However, Cousins was once again slow through reads and inaccurate with his passing under pressure in the second half. Boye Mafe blasted him in the backfield and forced a fumble that Derrick Hall picked up and returned 64 yards for a touchdown before Julian Love picked off an errant throw for another turnover that effectively ended the game as a contest.
Michael Penix Jr.: 1/1, 14 Yards
With the game gone and the clock winding down, Raheem Morris decided to give the rookie some snaps and despite handing the ball off six times, he was allowed to throw in third-and-short, finding depth receiver Casey Washington with a nice pass for 14 yards. Could this be the start of further opportunities for the future franchise quarterback?
Running Back
Bijan Robinson: 21 Carries, 103 Yards, TD | 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 40 Yards
Down 10-0 with the offense not doing much of anything midway through the second quarter, offensive coordinator Zac Robinson decided to hand the ball off on four straight plays to Robinson, who gained 53 yards and put his team in the red zone. Robinson showed some nice footwork and strength on third down at the goal line to finish off the drive with a score. He proved to be the only real punch in the Falcons’ offense and caught the eye twice at the start of the second half with two big plays: a jinking, tip-toe catch-and-run down the sideline for 21 yards followed by a nice double-cut on an inside run for seven yards that showed his elite ability as a runner. As the game slipped away from the Falcons, Robinson saw fewer opportunities with Cousins looking to throw and make big plays.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1848060476078309613
Tyler Allgeier: 5 Carries, 36 Yards
Coming off last week’s 100+ yard game against the Panthers, Allegeier saw both a decrease in opportunity and a negative game script to compound his disappointing day. The Falcons were increasingly playing on third-and-long and short yardage situations were at a premium. This hurts those who rolled the dice with the power back as a flex option.
Jase McClellan: 5 Carries, 17 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Kyle Pitts: 8 Targets, 7 Receptions, 65 Yards
This is the first time that Kyle Pitts has established a consistent rhythm in an offense since coming into the league, and he led the team in targets, catches, and yards despite poor quarterback play. Pitts has seen a healthy number of targets and has shown he can be a reliable option in the passing game for Cousins. However, he only had one catch after halftime and didn’t look to be an integral part of the offense when the Falcons were chasing the game.
Drake London: 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 63 Yards, TD
So, London is finally a fantasy asset. A clear and present danger for the first time in his Atlanta career, London found the end zone for the third straight game with an easy grab at the goal line on a fourth-and-1 play that saw Cousins find him on his first read. It is encouraging that not only is he being integrated into this offense as the alpha receiver, but he is also the primary target in the red zone. London now has five scores on the season and is a good bet to kick on in terms of fantasy no matter what the game script.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1848073719555535036
Darnell Mooney: 8 Targets, 5 Receptions, 46 Yards
After showing chemistry earlier in the year with Cousins, the former Bears wideout has struggled to make an impact over the past two contests, struggling to see targets downfield and generally seeing short passes out of the slot. Darnell Mooney wasn’t a bug part of the game plan but then again Cousins didn’t seem to have one in this game.
Casey Washington: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 14 Yards
Ray-Ray McCloud: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 9 Yards