ATLANTA—The Seahawks dominated early to build a 24-point halftime lead, then hung on as the Falcons made a second-half surge, eventually securing a 27-20 win that improved their record to 6-2 at the halfway mark of the season.
Here are six rapid reactions to Seattle's 27-20 victory over Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium:
1. The Seahawks are a really good road team.
While the Seahawks have been good on the road for several years now, they've been particularly good on the road this season. With Sunday's win, the Seahawks improved to 4-0 on the road, their first 4-0 road start since 1980, and they've done that traveling east three times, winning 10 a.m. PT games in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and now Atlanta.
2. Wilson to Lockett remains an outstanding combination.
This has been a reoccurring theme this season, but when Russell Wilson targets Tyler Lockett, good things tend to happen for the Seahawks. On Sunday, Lockett caught six passes for 100 yards, accounting for a good chunk of Wilson's 182 passing yards. And as is usually the case with Lockett, he made a couple of incredibly difficult catches with defenders draped all over him. Of course, Lockett wasn't the only Seahawks receiver making big plays, as rookie DK Metcalf had a pair of touchdown receptions.
Wilson, meanwhile, was a very efficient 14 for 20 for 182 yards and two scores, giving him a 131.7 passer rating.
Unfortunately for Seattle, Lockett wasn't the only receiver putting up big numbers. Atlanta's Julio Jones finished with 10 catches for 152 yards, playing a big role in the Falcons' second-half success.
3. Bobby Wagner made history, and a few big plays.
It didn't take long for Bobby Wagner to make history, recording two tackles on Atlanta's first possession to move him past Eugene Robinson for first place on the team's all-time tackles list. Then Wagner spent the rest of the day showing why he is one of the best linebackers of his generation. Wagner recorded six tackles, giving him 989 in his career, recorded a sack on Matt Schaub, he recovered a fumble, and he broke a 2-point attempt in the end zone to help clinch a victory.
K.J. Wright also moved up on the all-time tackles list with 10 more on Sunday to give him 784 in his career. That moves him past Joe Nash and into fourth place on the franchise's all-time list.
4. The running game was impressive.
For all of their defensive struggles this season, the Falcons have been solid against the run, allowing opponents to average just 3.7 yards per carry coming into the game. The Seahawks, however, found success running the ball gaining 151 yards on 33 carries, and while Chris Carson didn't quite hit the 100-yard mark this week, he did gain 90-yards on 20 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown run. And Rashaad Penny added to that with a strong outing, gaining 55 yards on eight carries.
5. The Seahawks got back on the right side of the turnover battle.
Last week, the Seahawks lost in large part because of two turnovers, both of which were returned for touchdowns by the Ravens. This week, the Seahawks were plus-3, including a Mychal Kendricks interception that set up an eventual touchdown, and a Marquise Blair forced fumble and Wagner recovery near the goal line that prevented a Falcons score. Seattle's offense, meanwhile, was turnover free, improving Seattle's turnover ratio this season to plus-seven.
6. Marquise Blair came up big in his second start.
Blair played well last week in his first career start, prompting Seahawks coach Pete Carroll to declare on Monday that the rookie had earned a chance to play more. Blair started again on Sunday, and came through with a team-high 11 tackles, as well as the aforementioned forced fumble to prevent a score.
3. Bobby Wagner made history, and a few big plays.
It didn't take long for Bobby Wagner to make history, recording two tackles on Atlanta's first possession to move him past Eugene Robinson for first place on the team's all-time tackles list. Then Wagner spent the rest of the day showing why he is one of the best linebackers of his generation. Wagner recorded six tackles, giving him 989 in his career, recorded a sack on Matt Schaub, he recovered a fumble, and he broke a 2-point attempt in the end zone to help clinch a victory.
K.J. Wright also moved up on the all-time tackles list with 10 more on Sunday to give him 784 in his career. That moves him past Joe Nash and into fourth place on the franchise's all-time list.
4. The running game was impressive.
For all of their defensive struggles this season, the Falcons have been solid against the run, allowing opponents to average just 3.7 yards per carry coming into the game. The Seahawks, however, found success running the ball gaining 151 yards on 33 carries, and while Chris Carson didn't quite hit the 100-yard mark this week, he did gain 90-yards on 20 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown run. And Rashaad Penny added to that with a strong outing, gaining 55 yards on eight carries.
5. The Seahawks got back on the right side of the turnover battle.
Last week, the Seahawks lost in large part because of two turnovers, both of which were returned for touchdowns by the Ravens. This week, the Seahawks were plus-3, including a Mychal Kendricks interception that set up an eventual touchdown, and a Marquise Blair forced fumble and Wagner recovery near the goal line that prevented a Falcons score. Seattle's offense, meanwhile, was turnover free, improving Seattle's turnover ratio this season to plus-seven.
6. Marquise Blair came up big in his second start.
Blair played well last week in his first career start, prompting Seahawks coach Pete Carroll to declare on Monday that the rookie had earned a chance to play more. Blair started again on Sunday, and came through with a team-high 11 tackles, as well as the aforementioned forced fumble to prevent a score.
