Seattle, WA
Seahawks vs. Falcons NFL Week 7 predictions and best bets: Can Seattle stop the skid?
The Seattle Seahawks will look to halt a three-game losing streak when they visit the Atlanta Falcons.
Seattle started off its season in promising fashion, winning its first three games, but it has not won since beating New England in Week 3.
The host Falcons lost two of their first three games, and then rebounded to win three consecutive games. They are tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for first place in the NFC South.
Both of these teams have shown that they can open up their offenses and light up the scoreboard. This may be a higher-scoring matchup featuring busy passing games led by Geno Smith and Kirk Cousins.
The Seahawks will be trying to avoid a 3-4 start for the first time in 16 years. We provide the odds for the matchup and our Seahawks vs. Falcons predictions and best bets for NFL Week 7.
Seahawks vs. Falcons predictions and best bets
- Falcons -5: -102 at FanDuel
- Over 51 Points: -110 at bet365
- Kirk Cousins Over 267.5 passing yards: -115 at BetMGM
No Seahawks team that has started with a 3-4 record has won more than nine games, per Champs or Chumps. Mike Macdonald will have to guide his team to a road win after absorbing another loss to the San Francisco 49ers at home last week.
Seattle’s defense has been problematic after performing well in the first three games, as it beat the teams it was supposed to beat.
Injuries will make the challenge loom larger for the secondary against Cousins and his array of playmakers. Top corners Riq Woolen and Tre Brown will be out with ankle injuries. Safety will also be thin, as Rayshawn Jenkins (hand) was placed on Injured Reserve this week. Jerick Reed II is out with an ankle injury.
Meanwhile, the Falcons are starting to look like one of the NFC’s better teams, and they are stacked at the skill positions on offense. After starting off the season slowly and showing signs of rust after last season’s Achilles injury, Cousins has rediscovered his best form.
The new Falcons QB has an impressive crew of potent offensive partners to work with, including WRs Drake London and Darnell Mooney, TE Kyle Pitts and RBs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, who provide terrific support.
Atlanta has scored 36-plus points in each of its last two games. Getting pressure on opposing passers has been a problem, as the Falcons have registered an NFL-low five sacks. Seattle will have time to throw, and Cousins may be readying for a shootout with Smith.
Seahawks vs. Falcons moneyline odds analysis
Why Atlanta could win as the favorite
Best odds: -150 at bet365
Cousins ranks fourth in the NFL with 1,598 passing yards and he has been sacked 10 times, which ranks 22nd in the league. Against Tampa Bay on Oct. 3, he passed for an astounding 509 yards and four TDs.
Robison and Allegier form an imposing RB duo. The former rushed for a career-best two TDs last week, while the latter rushed for 105 yards and a TD.
London ranks third in the NFL with 38 receptions. He has caught a TD pass in four of his past five games. Pitts is averaging 14.6 yards per reception, and Mooney has three TD catches.
On defense, A.J. Terrill and Clark Phillips intercepted their first passes of the season last week. Nate Landman forced two fumbles. He has forced a fumble in two of his last three games.
Why Seattle could win as the underdog
Best odds: +130 at DraftKings Sportsbook
Smith is one of the busiest passers in the game, and he works with a trio of WRs that will challenge any defense. He leads the NFL with 1,778 passing yards and completions with 173. Smith’s completion percentage stands at 68.9, and he has passed for 280-plus yards in the last five games.
DK Metcalf is aiming for his third consecutive road game with 100-plus receiving yards. In his past seven road games, Seattle’s top WRs has seven TD receptions.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught eight-plus passes in his last two road games. Longtime Seahawks staple performer Tyler Lockett remains an important part of the passing game, and he caught his first TD of the season last week.
Kenneth Walker III is an essential part of the offense. He rushed for his fifth TD of the season last week, and if the Seahawks can get him rolling, then they can display optimum offensive balance. Seattle’s offense ranks fourth in the NFL and will try to keep pace with Atlanta’s fifth-ranked unit.
To further bolster the front wall on defense, the Seahawks acquired defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris from the Jaguars this week. The return of 2024 first-round draft pick Byron Murphy II can also help. He missed the last three games with a hamstring injury.
Patrick Mahomes and 2025 MVP candidate Drake Maye are set to make trips to Lumen Field to face the Seattle Seahawks next season.
The Seahawks’ nine home and eight road opponents are now set for the 2026 campaign. They will face what on paper will be a tough slate after securing the NFC West title this year, which means they will take on the reigning division champions from the NFC North, NFC South and AFC East in addition to their home-and-home series with their NFC rivals and matchups against each team from the NFC East and AFC West.
The numbers behind Seattle Seahawks’ defensive masterpiece vs 49ers
The full schedule with dates for games has yet to be released. The NFL typically unveils the following season’s schedule in May.
Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs and Maye’s New England Patriots coming to town are among the highlights of the Seahawks’ 2026 slate. They could also be in line for a reunion with former coach Pete Carroll, as a trip to Las Vegas to face the Raiders is on the docket. However, the Raiders are not expected to keep Carroll for a second season.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is in line to square off with one of his former mentors when Seattle hosts Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers. Harbaugh was the head coach at the University of Michigan when Macdonald was the defensive coordinator in 2021. Harbaugh is also the dad of Seahawks special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh.
Seattle has three trips to the east coast next season where they will face the reigning NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles, reigning NFC South champion Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders. The Seahawks also faced the Panthers and Commanders on the road this season.
Here’s a full look at Seattle’s 2026 home and away opponents.
Home
• Arizona Cardinals
• Los Angeles Rams
• San Francisco 49ers
• Chicago Bears
• New England Patriots
• Los Angeles Chargers
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Dallas Cowboys
• New York Giants
Away
• Arizona Cardinals
• Los Angles Rams
• San Francisco 49ers
• Carolina Panthers
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Denver Broncos
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Washington Commanders
Find more info on how each team’s opponents are chosen here.
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Santa Clara—When Seattle’s defense stepped on the field for the Week 18 matchup against the 49ers, they had a few goals in mind, winning was of course one of those, but they wanted to show everyone watching they are the best defense in the league.
“We made up our mind that we were going to be the best defense in the NFL,” linebacker Uchenna Nwosu said. “We were going to show the world tonight and that’s what we did.”
As has been the case for the entire season, the Seahawks’ defense was once again a highlight in their 13-3 win. The Seahawks won, in part thanks to a dominant performance by the defense that held the San Francisco 49ers to just three points. The last time Kyle Shanahan’s offense was held to just three points was in his 49ers head coaching debut in 2017. Since then, San Francisco has scored at least 6 points in every game, until Saturday.
Coming into Saturday’s game, the 49ers were riding a three-game streak of great performances by its offense. Throughout all three of those games, San Francisco was averaging 42.3 points per game, 455.3 yards per game and 29.3 first downs per game.
Seattle’s defense held San Francisco to just 53 rushing yards, which included 21 yards from quarterback Brock Purdy, 127 yards through the air, a lone field goal, and just nine first downs. They also picked off Purdy once, sacked him three times and forced the 49ers to punt four times.
“They’re a tremendous offense,” head coach Mike Macdonald said following the game. “Probably top whatever in the league and have been doing it for a long time. They have great players, they have great coaches, and the numbers back it up. Our guys played great complimentary football today. They really did. I can’t say enough, but I can’t wait to watch the tape. There’s a lot of assists going on in there, guys rushing unselfishly to free somebody else up or to let somebody else have a two-way go so they can cover for them. How we played in the back end, it felt like we were ahead of plays. These guys did a great job. I’m looking forward to watching it.”
Christian McCaffery, one of San Francisco’s top offensive playmakers in both the run and passing game was held to his lowest rushing yards all season with 23 yards through the night and his fourth lowest receiving yards with 34.
Nick Emmanwori who had a team high seven tackles, as well as a tackle for loss and quarterback hit said, “Our front seven is the best in the world. Our D-Line is the best in the world. Got dudes like Jarran Reed, Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy. Our edges are dogs. They handle business every week. We’ve got the best run defense I the league. It makes it easy for us on the back end.”
We’ll have to wait one more day to learn who takes the NFC South crown.
The Buccaneers, losers of seven of their last eight coming into today, were able to piece together a tough, 16-14 win in bad weather against the Panthers. It was a calming three hours for the Bucs and their fans, who had seen their team go from theorized Super Bowl contender in the early months of the season to bottomless freefall.
Had the Panthers found a way to win today, the NFC South, and the #4 seed in the NFC, would have been determined. Instead, we’ll have to wait another day, as a matchup between the two NFC South rivals who are eliminated from the postseason entirely will now determine everything. Certainly ironic, but great for drama.
The New Orleans Saints travel to the Atlanta Falcons tomorrow to wrap up their respective seasons, and while they’re not playing for much more than pride, both the Buccaneers and Panthers will be watching with great interest. If the Falcons win, today will prove to be little more than a minor setback for Carolina, and they’ll win the division regardless.
However, should the Saints get the road upset, everything gets flipped. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were seemingly skidding towards a shocking early offseason, would be awarded the division on tiebreakers. Their Week Eight 23-3 victory over New Orleans, at the time seemingly innocuous, would end up salvaging their playoff spot.
Both Atlanta and New Orleans are on hot runs right now, the Falcons winners of three straight and the Saints on a four game streak. It’s a surprisingly compelling game given that both teams are guaranteed losing records on the season.
And this is very relevant to the Seattle Seahawks, because depending on tonight’s result in San Francisco, the NFC South division winner will either possibly, or definitely, be the team they play in their first playoff game.
If Seattle prevails tonight and takes the top seed in the NFC, it is entirely possible that their Divisional Round opponent is whoever comes out on top here. As the top seed, they play the lowest remaining seed, which would be either Carolina or Tampa Bay if all three home teams win on Wild Card Weekend. I wouldn’t bet on it, but it’s entirely possible.
On the other hand, if the Seahawks drop their game tonight and end up the #5 seeded NFC squad, then they’re drawing the winner of the NFC South in the first round for sure. Seattle has already played both teams this year, dropping an early-season bout to Tampa Bay 38-35, and just last week handling Carolina 27-10.
Of course, the Buccaneers were a far better team in that Week Five matchup, and the Seahawks have changed radically over the last three months as well, so it’s a matter of debate which team Seattle matches up better with. I imagine most Seahawks fans would feel good about either opponent, but there’s probably a preference somewhere in there.
Regardless, we’ll be waiting one more day to find out who the opponent will be, by which Seattle will already know if they’re watching the first round of the playoffs on a bye, or facing off against the south’s winner on the road.
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