The Atlanta Falcons (4-8) are one loss away from their eighth straight losing season, and their foe might be the best team they’ll face this year. The Seattle Seahawks are 9-3 under second-year coach Mike MacDonald and have a top-five scoring offense and defense.
They’re particularly stout against the run, which is typically the Falcons’ best hope at generating offensive production. Atlanta is a 7.0-point underdog at home on Sunday, and ESPN’s panel of writers doesn’t see much hope in Raheem Morris’ squad pulling off the upset.
ESPN’s panel includes reporter Pamela Maldonado, fantasy analyst Eric Moody, and analytics writer Seth Walder, and they’re unanimous in picking the Seahawks.
Maldonado’s pick: Seahawks 24, Falcons 14
Moody’s pick: Seahawks 30, Falcons 17
Walder’s pick: Seahawks 24, Falcons 16
FPI prediction: SEA, 60.9% (by an average of 4.5 points)
The Seahawks have the NFL’s second-best run defense at just 88.8 yards per game, but Walder thinks Falcons’ running back Bijan Robinson can still have a big day. Robinson is second in the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 1,589, and Atlanta isn’t afraid to use him as a receiver out of the backfield.
“Falcons RB Bijan Robinson will record at least seven receptions,” Walder wrote as his bold prediction. “The Seahawks’ defense allows targets to RBs 21% of the time, the second-highest rate in the league. And with Seattle’s defense being so stout against the run, the Falcons surely will look to get Robinson the ball in other ways.”
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Beat writer Marc Raimondi also pointed out a stat that backs Walder’s prediction of spamming the running backs underneath with the short passing game.
Most of what Cousins has done has been underneath — against the Jets, he was 20-of-24 on passes of under 10 air yards for 215 yards and a touchdown, per NFL Next Gen Stats,” Raimondi wrote. “When it comes to downfield passes, Cousins has the lowest completion percentage (35.7%) among qualified QBs, and the Seahawks just happen to be allowing a league-low 49.4 passer rating on downfield passes.”
The Falcons don’t throw the ball deep, and the Seahawks don’t allow the deep pass. The Falcons have one of the best weapons out of the backfield, who has 54 catches in 12 games, and the Seahawks give up a lot of receptions to running backs.
It doesn’t take 25 years of coaching experience to figure out what Atlanta’s plan of attack should look like early. As the Seahawks key on Robinson, will Cousins be able to back their defense off with passes to Kyle Pitts and Darnell Mooney with Drake London missing his third straight game?
ESPN isn’t confident they’ll be able to do it enough to win the game. If the Falcons lose, they’ll drop to 4-9 and lock up their eighth straight losing season.
Kickoff is at 1 p.m. EST at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and will be televised on FOX.
- Date: Sunday, December 7, 2025
- Game Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA
- How to Watch (TV): FOX
- Announcers: Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Daryl Johnston (color analysis), Allison Williams (sideline reporter)
- How to Listen Locally (Falcons Radio Network): 92.9 The Game
- Announcers: Wes Durham, Dave Archer
- Seahawks Record: 9-3
- Falcons Record: 4-8
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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