Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks start their quest for the 2020 championship by visiting the Atlanta Falcons to provide NFL bettors an entertaining Week 1 non-division game.
The Seahawks have upgraded their secondary substantially and feature one of the league’s best groups of receivers. Atlanta will feature former Rams running back Todd Gurley in the backfield and look to Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley to carry Matt Ryan’s passing game. Seattle opened as a one-point favorite (49 O/U) but that number has slowly crept up to -2 at some books.
Here are our NFL free picks and predictions for Seahawks vs. Falcons on September 13. **video
Seattle Seahawks vs Atlanta Falcons betting preview
Weather
Sunday’s game will be played indoors at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Be sure to monitor all gametime conditions with our NFL weather info.
Key Injuries
Seahawks: Will Dissly TE (Probable), Josh Gordon WR (out), Rashaad Penny RB (out), Tre Flowers CB (probable)
Falcons: Julio Jones WR (Probable), Olamide Zaccheaus WR (Probable), Russell Gage WR (Probable), A.J. Terrell CB (Probable), Kendall Sheffield CB (Out)
Find our latest NFL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Over has hit in seven of the last nine meetings between the Seahawks and Falcons. Find more NFL betting trends for Seahawks vs. Falcons.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
The Matt Ryan years seem to be running out of excitement, as the Falcons and the former Pro-Bowler haven’t had a .500 record over the last two years. Atlanta started 2019 1-6 SU and lost by an average of 13.6 points per game over that stretch and only two of those seven opponents had a Top-10 DVOA defense.
Seattle will run the ball, because that’s what coach Pete Carroll does, but they also have an MVP candidate at QB in Russell Wilson, who has some shiny toys to ball with at receiver. This team is built to play with the lead but will have zero problems playing catch up as Wilson is one of the best creative QBs in the league.
Atlanta gave the ball away 2.1 times per game at home last year, which was the fourth-highest mark in the league. Seattle and their new secondary will be happy to hand the ball back to their offense if Ryan isn’t careful (he had nine INTs at home last year). New Seahawks CB addition Quinton Dunbar ranked 2nd of 115 corners last year by Pro Football Focus and joins new safety Jamal Adams in one of the league's best pass-defending units.
PREDICTION: Seattle -2 (-110)
Over/Under pick
Neither of these teams had a Top-10 ranked pass or run defense last season, as the Falcons allowed opposing teams to rack up over 250 yards a game (24.9 points) and the Seahawks were even worse at 274 yards per game (24.2 points). Seattle went out to fix those problems by adding substantial pieces to their secondary, most notably the safety Adams.
Seattle gave up nearly six yards per play to its opponents last year, which was the fourth-highest mark in the league. The new secondary should improve on those numbers, but a lack of a pass rush could be the difference in the total as Ryan is a much better passer with a clean pocket. Ryan averaged more than 300 yards passing at home last year and his No. 2 receiver Calvin Ridley could make a huge jump in production entering his third year.
The play calling will also be a big factor in the total as Pete Carroll ran the ball at the third-highest clip in the NFL last year (29.5 rushes per game). The best game script for Over backers would be Atlanta getting up early and Wilson playing catch with WRs Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf, where Atlanta and their injured secondary should have a problem with the size and speed of Seattle’s wideouts.
PREDICTION: Over 49 (-110)
Team prop pick
As mentioned above, Ryan is on the downslope of his career. His interception rate doubled last year and the QB formerly known as "Matty Ice" tossed nine of his 14 interceptions at home last season, including six interceptions in Atlanta’s first three games.
Seattle picked off 0.9 balls per game last year and now has added Adams and Dunbar to their secondary, both of whom are in the Top 5 at their position in the league. Dunbar had four picks last year in Washington, but his presence also forces QBs to look the other way — and that's where free safety Quandre Diggs comes in. Diggs had three picks in five games for Seattle after coming over from Detroit last season.
PREDICTION: Team to throw most interceptions — Atlanta (+120)
Seahawks vs Falcons betting card
- Seattle -2 (-110)
- Over 49 (-110)
- Team to throw most interceptions — Atlanta (+120)
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