No. 5 – @ Atlanta Falcons (Week 1)
The Falcons may have finished 7-9 last season, but right off the bat this looks like a potential trap game for the Seahawks. Matt Ryan has seemingly had Seattle’s number for years now, and coach Dan Quinn still knows how to attack his former team’s weaknesses.
Even last year the Falcons gave Seattle troubles in Atlanta, as they nearly managed to claw their way out of a 24-0 halftime hole to fall by only a score in a 27-20 loss. That was with backup quarterback Matt Schaub filling in for an injured Matt Ryan as well.
Seattle is 2-9 in their road openers under Pete Carroll, and only have a single road win when it’s the season opener, which came in 2013. The Seahawks have gotten to slow starts early in September before, but they need to set the tone against a winnable opponent early and not risk losing ground in a tough division race so soon, especially considering the following week’s opponent . . .