Seahawks, Falcons know each other well heading into opener
SEATTLE (12-6) at ATLANTA (7-9)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
OPENING LINE - Seahawks by 1
SERIES RECORD - Seahawks lead 11-8
LAST MEETING - Seahawks beat Falcons 27-20 in Atlanta on Oct. 27, 2019
SEAHAWKS OFFENSE - OVERALL (8), RUSH (4), PASS (14).
SEAHAWKS DEFENSE - OVERALL (26), RUSH (22), PASS (27).
FALCONS OFFENSE - OVERALL (5), RUSH (30), PASS (3).
FALCONS DEFENSE - OVERALL (20), RUSH (15), PASS (22).
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES - Falcons not allowing fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for at least their first two homes. No decision has been made on home games after September. ... Seahawks were 7-1 on the road last year, best mark in franchise history. Atlanta looking to bounce back from consecutive 7-9 seasons. ... Seattle opening on the road for the 14th time in past 21 seasons. ... Seattle QB Russell Wilson threw for 4,110 yards and 31 touchdowns last season, the third time in his career topping 4,000 yards passing. ... Seahawks RB Chris Carson returns after suffering season-ending hip fracture late last season. He rushed for 1,230 yards before getting hurt. ... TE Greg Olsen to make Seahawks debut after spending nine seasons with Carolina. ... Seattle added DE Benson Mayowa and OLB/DE Bruce Irvin in free agency to boost pass rush, and also acquired All-Pro SS Jamal Adams in a July trade. ... Seattle LB Bobby Wagner earned first-team All-Pro honors for fourth straight season and one of just two players with at least 1,000 tackles since 2012. ... Falcons QB Matt Ryan ranks 10th on the NFL's career passing yards list (51,186) and could move past No. 9 John Elway (51,475) in Week 1. Ryan has passed for more than 4,000 yards in nine consecutive seasons. ... Falcons running game now centered on Todd Gurley, who was signed in free agency to replace Devonta Freeman. ... Falcons ranked next to last in the NFL with just 28 sacks, counting on newcomer Dante Fowler Jr. to boost those totals. He had 11 1-2 sacks for Rams last season. ... After cutting Desmond Trufant in a salary cap move, Falcons relying heavily on three cornerbacks with a combined three years of experience: Isaiah Oliver (two years), Kendall Sheffield (one year) and rookie A.J. Terrell, their first-round pick out of Clemson. ...Falcons have revamped special teams since the start of last season. K Younghoe Koo performed well after replacing Matt Bryant at midseason, while P Sterling Hofrichter takes over for Matt Bosher after being drafted in seventh round out of Syracuse. ... Fantasy tip: : Falcons WR Calvin Ridley could be poised for a big season playing alongside Julio Jones and new TE Hayden Hurst. Ridley missed the final three games of 2019 with an injury, which has only given him more motivation to reach 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in his career.
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