Game 1- @ Atlanta Falcons
With a big smile on his face Russell Wilson said, “The journey is just beginning.” As expected, Wilson was very optimistic about the season ahead after suffering a loss to Green Bay, 28-23, in the divisional playoffs. Seattle finished their 2019 season at 12-6 .
“[We] get to go into the offseason with a great building block on who we are and our identity and where we are going to go,” Wilson said.
The Seahawks wasted no time in adding new weapons for the NFL’s 8th highest ranked offense in total yards, including veteran tight end Greg Olsen, from the Carolina Panthers, and sixth-year running back Carlos Hyde, who recorded a career high 1,070 yards last year with Houston Texans.
Seattle also acquired safety Jamal Adams from the New York Jets in what could be one of the biggest trades of 2020. Adams adds to a growing Seahawks defense and will improve the team’s ability to put pressure on opponents’ passing and rushing game.
The 2020 season will be unique to say the least. Here are my predictions for the season that will be unpredictable.
The Seattle Seahawks will travel, for a league high, 28,000 miles this season with their first stop being in the Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta. Last season Seattle struggled against a mediocre 1-7 Falcons team.
In the first half Seahawks rookie wide receiver DK Metcalf scored two touchdowns on three targets, putting Seattle up 24-0 at the half. The second half was a different story as the Seahawks defense allowed the Falcons to go on a 20-3 run in the second half with Seattle holding off to win 27-20.
This is what concerns me going into this game: The Falcons will not be as bad as they were last year, especially after acquiring running back Todd Gurley and tight end Hayden Hurst. This will put pressure on a Seattle defense that is still very suspect. The Seahawks defense that ranked 26th in the NFL last year in yards allowed per game is still going to struggle against the run game as they ranked 22nd in rush defense last season.
Seattle has an edge in their ninth year quarterback Russell Wilson. He has been what keeps Seattle in these close games and is a magician when it comes to getting his team out of a hole. The key for Seattle is to keep a balanced offensive attack. In his eleventh year as Seahawks head coach, Pete Carroll, will look to take pressure off of Wilson with the ground game. Returning in the backfield alongside Hyde will be a healthy running back Chris Carson. I see the Hawks squeezing by Atlanta and starting off the 2020 season with a win.
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