Three Kitsap News Group staffers who bleed navy, gray and green make their prediction in the NFC playoff between the Seattle Seahawks (10-5-1) and the Atlanta Falcons (9-7-0)
MARK BRIANT
Falcons 27, Seahawks 24
The Seahawks are going to have to play a lot of more consistently than they did last week against the Lions if they want to win this game. The botton line is: they have to raise this game if they’re going to beat the Falcons. They need to play the entire game the way they played the fourth quarter against the Lions. They need to put together four good quarters. I’d love to see the Hawks win, but my score prediction is Falcons 27 – Seahawks 24.
— Mark Briant is a reporter for Kitsap News Group
DONNA ETCHEY
Seahawks 27, Falcons 24
When the Seahawks and Falcons played in week 6, Russell Wilson was not at his full potential. The Falcons will have to rely on their strong offensive line to give Matt Ryan a chance, and they are going to have to break through the Seahawks’ strong defense.
Also, the Falcons are without cornerback Desmond Trufant and this will allow both Doug Baldwin and Jimmy Graham solid matchups. The Seahawks’ offensive line is coming off its best performance of the year. The Seahawks have the stronger defense in this match-up and I think it will be a close game for sure.
I predict the Seahawks will win 27-24.
— Donna Etchey is general manager of Kitsap News Group
DAVE MURRAY
Seahawks 23, Falcons 20
The Seahawks made a strong showing Jan. 7 against the Lions and the Seahawks’ defense has played consistently quite well throughout the season, in my opinion. That bodes well for the game Jan. 14 against the Falcons. Another factor that might benefit the Seahawks is that Atlanta is one of the friendlier places in the league for opposing teams to play. In fact, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, there were still “thousands of tickets available” as of Jan. 10 for this Saturday’s game. Can you imagine a Seahawk home playoff game not selling out in minutes?
I pick Seattle to win 23-20.
— Dave Murray is a creative artist for Kitsap News Group
