What an unreal first half from Atlanta, GA! The Seahawks struck first but that did not deter the red hot Atlanta Falcons offense led by Matt Ryan. There’s a reason people call him ‘Ice’ and he showed why he’s in the MVP conversation this season. Read ahead for the full breakdown of the first half.
Seattle Seahawks vs Atlanta Falcons NFL Divisional Playoff – Halftime Update – January 14, 2017
12th Man Strikes First
Russell Wilson put together a tremendous drive using his legs and his arm, while Thomas Rawls got the job done on the ground. One of his best runs came in the Atlanta red zone where he bounced off his man with a nice spin move. Following his ground assault, Wilson looked to the air and hit Jimmy Graham for a touchdown and the first seven points of the football game.
Hotlanta Answers
The drive was capped off by who else, Julio Jones. A nice slant route that may or may not have involved a little offensive pass interference from Muhammed Sanu knotted the game at 7’s early in the second quarter.
Right Back the Other Way
The Hawks charged right back down the field and nearly scored another major. Wilson hit Paul Richardson for a 20-plus yard diving grab. At first instance, it didn’t look like he was touched down, but after a replay review, he was ruled down after the grab. The Seahawks were inside the red zone for the second time in two possessions but Wilson was quickly sacked for a big loss. The Hawks had to settle for a Steven Hauschka 33-yard field goal.
The Falcons were forced to punt and Devin Hester made them pay. The veteran return legend put together a 79-yard run back but it was flagged down. It would result in the Hawks moving all the way back inside their own five. This was horrible news for Seattle because once Russell Wilson tripped over his own offensive lineman off the snap, the Falcons capitalized with a safety!
Falcons Strike Again From Distance
The Atlanta Falcons weren’t done after the safety, the rumbled the ball right back down the field and after a few Julio Jones completions, Matt Bryant was called upon from 35 yards out to split the pipes. The Falcons then took their first lead of the game 12-10 in the dying minutes of the second quarter.
Ryan to Coleman in the Endzone
Matt Ryan, as mentioned, has been fantastic so far in this game. He took his redshirts and went 99-yards down the field to add to the teams two-point lead. It only took him nine plays to march down the entire field in just 2:55 seconds and then he decided to capitalize. The third down back, Tevin Coleman made a great catch in the side of the end zone after a nice Matty Ice shuffle to his left. The touchdown put Atlanta up 19-10 and that’s how we stand now.
