Our 2013 NFL playoffs predictions continue on Sunday, January 13th with the Seattle Seahawks vs. Atlanta Falcons. We are set to make our Seahawks vs. Falcons predictions, tips, and keys to the game for this crucial duel in the first round of the playoffs.

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#5 Seattle Seahawks @ #1 Atlanta Falcons
Seahawks vs. Falcons Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
Seahawks vs. Falcons Date/Time: Sunday, January 13th, 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Seahawks vs. Falcons On TV: FOX

Key #1: The Seahawks have to keep up this mojo against playoff teams
You really don’t think of the Seahawks as an outfit that ultimately did tremendously well against playoff teams this year, but when you go back and look at it, this is a team that did a heck of a lot better than you would think against the best teams in the league. Granted, we know that the win over the Green Bay Packers should have never happened, but the club ultimately went 5-1 SU and 6-0 ATS, including last week’s 24-14 win over the Washington Redskins to conclude Wild Card weekend. There’s more than that, too. Seattle also beat the Chicago Bears on the road and the Dallas Cowboys at home this year, and those were both wins that, had they not been had, would have cost the team a spot in the second season. This Seattle outfit also ultimately didn’t lose a game this year by more than seven points on the campaign. This team is a heck of a lot better than your average 11-5 team, and it has the longest winning streak of any team in the NFC right now at six games.

Seahawks @ Falcons Odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook
Seattle Seahawks +2.5
Atlanta Falcons -2.5
Over/Under 46
Click Here to Bet Your Seahawks vs. Falcons Picks!

Key #2: The Falcons have to get back to the fundamentals of football
Teams that win championships run the ball and play good defense at this level. Even when the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl a few years ago, they managed to find their way to make some big time defensive plays en route to the title. The Falcons do neither of these things well. They didn’t have anywhere near a 1,000-yard rusher this year, and they ultimately ranked 29th in the NFL in rushing at just 87.3 yards per game, and they allowed 365.6 yards per game. They did the job by allowing just 18.7 points per game, but anyone that has watched this team this year knows that this is a team that is just waiting to implode and allow 40 points in a game if it isn’t careful. But back to the ground game for a second. RB Michael Turner only rushed for 803 yards and 10 TDs this year, and he averaged just 3.6 yards per carry. We understand that Turner is coming up towards the end of his career and he is more of a plodding back right now, but the fact that RB Jacquizz Rodgers averaged just 3.9 yards per carry as a spunky, change of pace back doesn’t speak well for this offensive line. If all of this doesn’t improve, it will be a year of disappointment for the Falcons.

Key #3: The Georgia Dome can’t turn on Matty Ice
It’s easy to see why the fans of the Falcons are frustrated at this point. They have never won a championship, and they haven’t won a playoff game under the direction of Head Coach Mike Smith and QB Matt Ryan. Don’t get us wrong, as Atlanta is lucky to have Ryan under center as opposed to QB Chris Redman and whatever other garbage the team had before. However, at 0-3 SU and ATS in three playoff games, it is easy to dismiss Ryan as a quarterback that just can’t play in the big time game in his career. He has never thrown for even 200 yards in a playoff game in three tries, and he has just 584 yards with three TDs and four picks in those games. Last year against the New York Giants, he didn’t even get a single point on the board offensively in a game that was ultimately lost 24-2. That just doesn’t cut it, and it won’t get the job done in the playoffs against any team, especially one that is as hot as the Seahawks ultimately are.

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