Scouting the Falcons vs Seahawks matchup with 12th Man Rising

Atlanta Falcons will take on the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football. This matchup has playoff implications. We sent some questions over to our friends at FanSided’s 12th Man Rising ahead of the game.

The Atlanta Falcons will take on the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football. The winner will be one of six teams currently seeded for a playoff spot, the other will be knocked out of the NFC’s top six.

The Falcons offense has a lot to prove tonight against a strong Seahawks defensive line. And Atlanta’s defense must contain Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson . If Atlanta manages to grab a victory on the road against a very tough opponent, this Week 11 win could provide the team with a confidence boost that ignites them for the remainder of the season.

Before Monday night’s kickoff, we had an opportunity to ask Site-Expert Lee Vowell of FanSided’s 12th Man Rising about the Seahawks and his thoughts on this primetime matchup.

"Blogging Dirty: Who is your Seattle Seahawks player to watch for on Monday night?"

"12th Man Rising: I will get more into this in just a minute, but my Seahawks player to watch on Monday is cornerback Shaquill Griffin. Seattle drafted Griffin to be the alpha at cornerback in a few years when Richard Sherman was no longer able to be Sherman. Now there is no Sherman. Griffin has been very good in his rookie year. Seattle will still not change it’s defense around where Griffin shadows the other teams best receiver. This is a cover-3 team, of course. But Griffin is the best cornerback by far that Seattle has now, so he will be lined up across from great receivers like Julio Jones a lot more. If Griffin can show greatness straightaway then Seattle will be ok. If he doesn’t, the Seahawks season is in big trouble."

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"Blogging Dirty: With key injuries to the Seahawks secondary, which second string players do you expect to step-up and make the biggest impact in defensive back Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor’s absence?"

"12th Man Rising: This is where things change immensely for the Seahawks. Losing Sherman is one thing, but having Chancellor out for the season now is probably not something Seattle can overcome. That said, Seattle did bring back Byron Maxwell this week to play corner. He isn’t great but he isn’t terrible. And he knows the Seattle system. And this offseason the Seahawks signed Bradley McDougald to play either free safety or strong safety in the case Earl Thomas or Chancellor were injured. McDougald played well the last two games in Thomas’s stead. But Chancellor does things no other strong safety has the real freedom to do, like stuff gaps in the run by playing so close to the line. I am unsure if McDougald can be Chancellor, but he needs to be for Seattle to make the playoffs."

"Blogging Dirty: Which Atlanta Falcons player are you most concerned about?"

"12th Man Rising:The one Falcons player that concerns me the most is Julio Jones. He hasn’t had the season he did in 2016, but he is still one of the best receivers in the NFL. Jones had pretty decent success against Sherman in games past. But now Sherman will not be out there. Even with a healthy Sherman and Thomas, the Texans’ DeAndre Hopkins had over 200 yards receiving. Jones might be able to do this on Monday. But really the greater concern is the Falcons passing game as a whole. With so many new faces in Seattle’s secondary, communication is going to be an issue. This might get Seattle beat on Monday."

"Blogging Dirty: What is your final score prediction for the Monday night match up between the Falcons and Seahawks?"

"12th Man Rising: I never pick Seattle to win because I am a jinx. I have picked them to win once this season. That was against the Washington Redskins, and they lost. But with no Sherman and Chancellor, and with the Falcons coming off an impressive win against the Dallas Cowboys, I honestly think Atlanta wins. The score will be something like 28-17."

Next: Atlanta Falcons vs Seahawks: Week 11 staff predictions

Monday night’s matchup should be a good one. Thanks to our friends at 12th Man Rising for taking the time to answer our questions.