Falcons-Seahawks preview: What Atlanta needs to do to keep the winning streak alive

The last three weeks could not have been any different for two NFC contenders in the Atlanta Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks. After losing a Week 3 heartbreaker to the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Falcons have rattled off three wins in a row, all over NFC South rivals. As for the Seahawks, they have fallen back to .500 after a 3-0 start with three losses in a row.

While he may mostly cover the New York Giants for GMenHQ, Senior Editor Braulio Perez used to cover the NFL as a whole with me on FanSided.com for years. He is a Seattle native and grew up rooting for the Pacific Northwest franchise. Incredibly knowledgable, Braulio took the time to come on the latest episode of The Blogging Dirty Podcast to help preview Sunday's NFC home matchup.

One of Seattle's most recent losses happened to be vs. the team Braulio covers most closely now in the Giants. While the G-Men are only 2-4 on the season, New York seems to have played better than their record indicates up to this point. As for Seattle, we have to wonder if the Seahawks took advantage of a soft start to the season. These last few weeks have been very revealing for the team.

After talking to Braulio, I have a better understanding about how to feel about both of the NFC teams.

How Atlanta Falcons fans should feel about their team through six weeks

While there may be some debate as to who is truly better in the NFC South between the Falcons and the team they beat on Thursday Night Football a two weeks ago in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, most people who follow the league closely or cover it professionally view them both as playoff teams. The idea is that one of the four teams in the NFC North is going to fade down the stretch at some point.

The Falcons may not have the best point differential through six weeks, but they have shown a knack for being able to win close games. All but the Carolina game last week came down to one score. Atlanta won two of those five games in question. I would say people are really starting to respect the team Raheem Morris has, one that has weapons galore offensively and is mentally tough defensively.

So from a slightly biased standpoint, the rest of the NFL world is giving Dirty Bird Nation to be unapologetically positive and optimistic about this team. The ceiling for this team may be getting to an NFC Championship Game, but then again, we haven't experienced a three-game winning streak in years. The team is three wins away from tying its benchmark of the last three seasons. We want more!

This team is winning games differently than Falcons teams of the past, so this is all incredibly exciting.

What a win over the Seattle Seahawks will mean for the Atlanta Falcons

This game is all about seizing momentum early. It will be a 1:00 p.m. ET kick at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, meaning it will be a 10:00 a.m. PT start time for those back in the Pacific Northwest. It could be a sleepy game for both teams, but Atlanta cannot afford for Seattle to hang around in this one. This is all about proving everyone right about the Falcons, and not creating doubt.

A win over the Seahawks would mean Atlanta would be 5-2 overall and 5-0 over NFC teams. The Falcons are 3-0 in NFC South play with a huge date at Tampa Bay looming next week. If Atlanta can split its next to games to get to 5-3 ahead of the home date vs. the Dallas Cowboys, that will bode well for the team's chances of making the playoffs for the first time since 2017 at the halfway point.

More importantly, this is a team that Atlanta has usually played well against in recent years. Keep in mind that new Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald grew up locally and is a University of Georgia graduate. This may be his first stab at being an NFL head coach, but home cooking from the Dirty South could save or ruin his first season on the job. Morris has to prove his worth on Sunday here.

If the Falcons get to 5-2 with a win over Seattle, it will be very hard to write this team off in 2024.

How the Seattle Seahawks can stay in the game vs. the Atlanta Falcons

In my conversation with Braulio, I asked him, straight up, what is going on with this team? To the best of his ability, he said that this Seahawks defense is really struggling, especially in the back-end of it. While they have weapons at wide receiver, Geno Smith is more of a statue than not at quarterback and he will turn the ball over. Braulio then followed by saying that Seattle needs to win on the ground.

It will be critical for the Falcons to hone in on stuffing the run. While D.K. Metcalf can conceivably stretch the field outside the numbers, Braulio did say he can be neutralized decently with a good secondary, which the Falcons have. Simply put, the team that wins time of possession and the turnover battle is going to win this game. Atlanta is seen as a slight home favorite in this matchup.

When compared to Seahawks' teams of yesterday, the offensive line has improved, while the overall defense has regressed. We know that Ryan Grubb is a great offensive mind, but this is his first time working in the NFL. He had been Kalen DeBoer's trusted offensive coordinator during their time together at Washington and at Fresno State before that. Grubb has to win with the running game.

If Atlanta can stop the Seahawks' rushing attack and play a clean game offensively, they should win.

What the Atlanta Falcons need to do to defeat the Seattle Seahawks

This is pretty simple. Kirk Cousins and the Falcons passing offense needs to take advantage of a weakened Seattle secondary. Cousins needs to play with poise in the pocket, but should lean on the dynamic rushing attack of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier to open up easier passing lanes to be had for Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Ray-Ray McCloud III, Kyle Pitts and others. They can take control.

While generating pressure has not been the Falcons' forte for years, they were able to disrupt Andy Dalton's timing last week behind an improving Carolina offensive line. The Falcons' pass rush did not sack him, but did force him to make some bad throws, including a pair of interceptions late in the game. I think what worked vs. Dalton on the road last week could work at home vs. Smith this week.

Overall, this is a very important game for Atlanta's two coordinators of note in Zac Robinson and Jimmy Lake. For Robinson, he must continue to call offensive plays with great confidence. A good mix of run and pass should keep the Seahawks defense on their toes. As for Lake, the former Washington coach needs to get an all-around great game from its playmakers in the front-seven.

Atlanta is playing better football right now than Seattle, but the Falcons have to execute to win here.