Atlanta Falcons vs. Seattle Seahawks: To-Do Checklist for Divisional Round

2. Confuse the Seahawks defense 

Having Dan Quinn as head coach provides considerable insight to the Atlanta Falcons. We all know Quinn was previously an assistant on Seattle’s staff, to include serving as defensive coordinator during their Super Bowl seasons. We’ve already witness his insight aiding the Falcons’ attack on the Seahawks defense back in Week 6.

Sports Illustrated’s Andy Benoit further broke it down in his recent Monday Morning Quarterback column:

"“It started with what’s called “13” personnel. That’s one running back and three tight ends on the field. (That leaves just one wide receiver.) It’s typically a power-running package, but the Falcons had used a bevy of downfield pass designs from it—which were hugely successful, not just in this game but also previous weeks. In fact, in the first half of the season, before Jacob Tamme got hurt and the Falcons put much of the package on the back-burner, Matt Ryan completed 24 of 29 passes out of “13” personnel. The average completion went 18 yards. Seven of the completions went over 20 yards. Five of them resulted in touchdowns.”"

Benoit’s insight clearly illustrates the knowledge Quinn shared with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan’s game plan concluded with QB Matt Ryan picking apart Seattle’s defense. Shanahan was the brainpower to devise various schemes and formations, formations that caught Seattle off-guard in normally Cover-3 or Cover-1.

More of this on Saturday will lead to the Falcons finding mismatches and scoring points at will.