The Seattle Seahawks' top receiver will try to bounce back from a dud, while the Atlanta Falcons are hoping to get their best receiver back on the field. And here are bold predictions for the Week 14 clash between the Seahawks and Falcons.
Seattle enters with a record of 9-3 as they chase the Bears for the NFC’s top record. Meanwhile, the Falcons are struggling through a tough season with a record of 4-8. They will meet at 1 p.m. (ET) in Atlanta.
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba will get 100-plus yards receiving
Forget that dud against the Vikings. Smith-Njigba will come back with a vengeance this week. The Falcons won’t be able to hold him in check.
Smith-Njigba is the No. 1-ranked receiver in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. He has a season receiving grade of 93.7.
The Vikings put in a game plan to slow Smith-Njigba down, but it didn’t change the outcome in a 26-0 blowout. Zone coverage was prevalent, according to seattletimes.com.
“A lot of zone looks, a lot of cloud coverage, a lot of help over there toward my side, which is fine,” Smith-Njigba said. “That’s the name of the game. Other components gotta hit, and they did. So (I’m) happy we got the win.”
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold said the offense took things in stride.
“I think it goes both ways,” Darnold said. “I think if teams pressure us, we can make them pay. If teams don’t pressure us, sometimes they can put guys in certain areas to take Jaxon away. Today I just felt like they did a really good job. They had a good plan. Again, we’ve got to look at ourselves in the mirror and see how we can be better.”
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said Darnold didn’t play up to his standards in the first half. But he got better after the break.
“Thought he made some smart decisions, fast decisions,” Macdonald said. “Got away from the rush well. I know it sounds weird, but he took some good sacks actually in some of those critical moments, which is good team football. Did a great job. There is a lot of things he’s doing outside of the pass game in that second half that really helped us win the game as well, so operating at a high level.”
The Falcons have a good pass defense, ranking No. 8 in the NFL. They allowed 187.8 yards per game. But look for Macdonald and Darnold to find ways to get the ball to their best player. That’s especially true early in the game.
Falcons RB Bijan Robinson will get 110-plus total yards
Whether it’s on the ground or through the air, Robinson will be able to help the Falcons move the ball. He’s coming off a 193-yard effort against the Jets.
And while things won’t be that easy against the Seahawks, look for the Falcons to lean on Robinson.
Kirk Cousins has taken over at quarterback for the Falcons. He said losing is tough, but Robinson has been a bright spot, according to wsbtv.com.
“It’s always tough to lose in this league, and it’s a lot tougher when you don’t have production,” Cousins said. “I’m proud of the way Bijan played and the guys around him who helped him have a day like he had. Love any time a player can show what they’re capable of, and I felt Bijan did that today. I just wish it had been in a win, and he does, too.”
There isn’t much to play for in 2025 for the Falcons. But they will keep trying, according to sfchronicle.com.
“We still have five left,” said linebacker Kaden Ellis. “We've got to go play for pride and rattle off five in a row. Crazier things have happened.”
Seahawks QB Sam Darnold will throw a trio of TD passes
The Seahawks settled for a lot of field goals against the Vikings, but look for them to hit paydirt against the Falcons.
Darnold has been solid this season, hitting on 68.2% of his passes. He has thrown for 2,913 yards with 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The picks are a concern, but Darnold should be able to navigate his team into scoring territory against the Falcons.
However, be warned that Darnold is coming off a game where he stuck to the game plan, even though his final numbers could have been better with a little more aggressiveness. Macdonald said the approach was good, according to Seahawks.com.
“The way the game declared, we didn't need him to drop back and chuck it around the yard 40 times,” Macdonald said. “So we knew we needed to stick with our plan to kind of ground it out there in the second half. And we executed that. I thought we played way better in the second half, to help us win the game.”
