Julio Jones vs. Richard Sherman. Dan Quinn vs. Pete Carroll.
Most folks anticipated an Atlanta Falcons-Seattle Seahawks matchup in the second round of the playoffs. Now, it has come to fruition.
Seattle's 26-6 wild-card victory over the Detroit Lions means the No. 3 Seahawks will travel to Atlanta next Saturday to face the rested No. 2 seed Falcons, who earned a first-round playoff bye. Game time is 4:35 p.m. ET at the Georgia Dome. The winner advances to the NFC Championship Game.
It's a familiar opponent for Falcons coach Quinn, who won a Super Bowl as the Seahawks' defensive coordinator under the Seahawks' Carroll. The Falcons also hosted the Seahawks in the 2012 divisional round and held on to win that contest 30-28 after racing to a 20-0 lead. It was the only playoff victory for MVP candidate Matt Ryan against four postseason losses.
Ryan, Jones and crew should know what to expect from the Seahawks. The teams played in Week 6 of the regular season and the Seahawks escaped with a 26-24 victory in Seattle. The game was marred by a controversial no-call when Sherman, the Seahawks' top cornerback, got away with grabbing Jones late in the contest.
The Falcons are a much better version of themselves now, with Ryan throwing 11 touchdowns and no interceptions during a four-game winning streak to finish the season. He has been spectacular all season and has thrown touchdown passes to 13 different targets, an NFL first.
The playoff bye week allowed receivers such as Jones (toe), Taylor Gabriel (toe/ankle), and tight end Austin Hooper (MCL) to recover from injuries. Ryan guided the league's top-scoring offense at 33.8 points per game, but the Seahawks surrendered only 18.3 points per game. However, the Seahawks are not nearly as strong on the back end without free safety Earl Thomas, who was lost to a season-ending fractured tibia on Dec. 4. It makes the Seahawks more susceptible to big plays, even with Sherman shutting down one side of the field.
From a defensive perspective, the Falcons fully understand that Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is capable of making plays. Pressuring him with NFL sack leader Vic Beasley Jr. and containing Wilson when he leaves the pocket will be key. The Seahawks have capable targets in Doug Baldwin, Jimmy Graham and Paul Richardson, who had a combined 17 catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions. And a handful of those catches were highlight-reel material.
That being said, the Falcons know they have to stop the run first, with Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls rushing for 161 yards on 27 carries in the wild-card win. Certainly Seattle will want to control the clock and keep Ryan and his high-powered offense off the field.
Rookie middle linebacker Deion Jones' speed will be a key factor for the Falcons in slowing down Wilson and minimizing explosive runs. The same goes for rookie strong safety Keanu Neal and his hard hitting, giving the Falcons their version of Seahawks enforcer Kam Chancellor.
It could come down to which team comes up with the key turnover. The Falcons created 22 turnovers during the regular season and the Seahawks had 19 takeaways. Ryan's carefulness with the ball could take the Falcons a long way.
Maybe even all the way to Houston for the Super Bowl.
The X factor for the Falcons could be the running back tandem of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. The two combined for 2,482 combined yards and 24 touchdowns during the regular season.