Playing at Qwest Field is not an easy task and the Falcons knew that when they went into their game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. It did not matter, as Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes to lead the Falcons past Seattle 34-18. Things were looking good for Seattle when the game started, as they were able to put together a 12-play, 80-yard drive and it ended with a Marshawn Lynch 1-yard touchdown run to put the Seahawks up 7-0 with 7:32 left in the first quarter.
But like they have done all season long, the Falcons put together a 10-plus play drive of their own on the ensuing series, going 15 plays for 51 yards which ended with a Matt Ryan 3-yard touchdown pass to Jason Snelling to tie the game at seven with 14:20 left in the second quarter.
The Falcons were able to take the lead for the first time later in the second quarter with a Matt Bryant 27-yard field goal to go up by three with 4:54 left in the second quarter. After forcing the Seahawks to go three-and-out on the ensuing drive, the Falcons looked to add on to their small lead, but a Ryan pass on third-and-10 at the Falcons 33-yard line was picked off by Jordan Babineaux and that led to an Olindo Mare 38-yard field goal to tie the game at 10.
The Falcons had possession with 2:05 left in the half and that was plenty of time for Ryan and company to take back the lead from Seattle. They were successful, as Ryan threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins to go up by seven going into halftime.
It was the third quarter that changed the game for both teams.
Seattle had possession at their own 4-yard line with 10:33 left, but that changed quickly because Matt Hasselbeck was sacked by Jamaal Anderson in the end zone which forced Hasselbeck to fumble the ball and was recovered by Jonathan Babineaux in the end zone which put the Falcons up by 14.
The Falcons were able to score quickly again with a Bryant 27-yard field goal to increase their lead to 17 with 4:33 left in the third quarter. That score was set up due to a Hasselbeck interception by Brent Grimes and was returned to the Seahawks 37-yard line. That was Grimes fifth interception of the year which leads the teams and is among the leaders in the NFL.
Hasselbeck looked to bounce back on the ensuing drive, but he threw another interception. This time it was William Moore and he returned it to the Seattle 27- yard line. Four plays later, Ryan threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Roddy White to put the Falcons up by 24 with 57 seconds left in the third quarter. Along with his three touchdown passes, Ryan finished with 174 yards while completing 20-of-35 passes. White finished his day 65 yards on seven catches to go along with his touchdown.
The Seahawks were able to get on the board midway through the fourth, as Charlie Whitehurst came into the game to replace Hasselbeck and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. Whitehurst completed 8-of-16 passes with 83 yards and with 10 yards rushing.
With the win, the Falcons improve their record to 12-2 and need only to win one more game to clinch the No. 1 seed in NFC. They have already clinched a playoff spot because the New York Giants lost to the Philadelphia Eagles before the Falcons kicked off.
The Falcons now come back home for their final two games of the season and their next game will be a Monday night contest against the New Orleans Saints who are two games behind the Falcons for the NFC South lead. Because the Falcons beat the Seahawks and the Saints lost to the Baltimore Ravens, it’s not as big as it could have been. But the Falcons want to protect their home field so they will get a few days rest and go back to work Thursday to get ready for the defending Super Bowl Champs.
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