Fansided

NFL Week 1: Trends which will decide each game

By Russell S. Baxter

TAMPA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 02: Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers handles the ball during training camp at AdventHealth Training Center on September 02, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 02: Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers handles the ball during training camp at AdventHealth Training Center on September 02, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – DECEMBER 22: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens runs with the ball during the game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. Baltimore defeated Cleveland 31-15. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – DECEMBER 22: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens runs with the ball during the game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. Baltimore defeated Cleveland 31-15. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

Sunday, Sept. 13

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons, 1:00 pm

Seahawks: This team was actually better on the road this past season (8-2, including playoffs) than at home (4-4). One of those wins in 2019 was a Week 8 victory at Atlanta (27-20). This was quite a departure from the previous year, when the Seahawks were a combined 4-5 on the road, including a wild card loss to the Cowboys at Dallas.

Falcons: Does the offseason addition of free-agent edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. mean that Dan Quinn’s team has finally found some staying power when it comes to the pass rush? A year ago, Atlanta was once again near the bottom of the league with 28 sacks. In 2019, Seahawks’ quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked 48 times.

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens, 1:00 pm

Browns: Talk about stumbling out of the gate? The last time the Browns won their first game of the season was back in 2004. The club is a combined 0-14-1 in their initial contest of the year the past 15 campaigns – that tie coming at home against the Steelers in ’18. Cleveland has split with the Ravens two consecutive seasons.

Ravens: John Harbaugh’s squad set a new NFL record for rushing yards in a season by a team in 2019, rolling up 3,296 yards on the ground (206.0 average). Now they kick off the year against a Cleveland team that won at Baltimore a year ago. But only the Bengals and Washington allowed more rushing yards than the Browns in ‘19.

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