It's officially impossible to fly under the radar. We can all stop trying. The NFL is aware of the Atlanta Falcons and every week there'll be a bullseye on their chest until the final gun sounds in Arlington on February 6. That's the result of starting a season 11-2 while riding a seven-game winning streak. Will the Falcons magical season continue in Seattle or will the ride hit a bump on their way to the finish line? The NFL experts from around the interwebs have your answer.
Source | Winner | Notes |
ESPN Consensus | Falcons | Seth Wickersham loves to build suspense and is the only expert (nine-of-10) to pick against the Falcons. |
Yahoo Sports Consensus | Falcons | A clean sweep from all four experts for an Atlanta victory over Seattle. |
CBS Sports Consensus | Falcons | Everyone (5-for-5) at CBS Sports is on board for the Falcons winning their 12th game of the season. |
Fanhouse | Falcons | Dave Goldberg likes the Falcons to win but the Seahawks to cover in a 23-20 contest. |
What If Sports | Falcons | The Falcons won over 63 percent of the simulations with an average score of 21 to 17. |
Sports Illustrated | Falcons | Peter King: Fourth roadie in five weeks for the Atlantans. They've won in the Central (St. Louis, Green Bay at home), Eastern (at Tampa and Carolina), and now they take the six-hour jaunt diagonally across America to Seattle, traveling Friday and working out at Qwest Saturday, hoping to take the 12th Man out of the game early. The 6-7 Seahawks have everything to play for, and Pete Carroll will have the bitterness of the disaster at Candlestick expunged by kickoff. But it won't be enough to beat a better team. Falcons 24, Seahawks 20. |
USA Today | Falcons | All eight experts like the Falcons with three of them really liking the Falcons by making them the "lock of the week." |
Sporting News | Falcons | All six experts picked the Falcons to beat the Seahawks. Sporting News employs seven experts but Todd Wright hasn't made his picks and we wait for no one. |
Only one expert among the ones we tracked picked the Seahawks to pull the upset. However, it's worth noting that quite a few of them liked the Seahawks to cover. I do think this game will be close into the fourth quarter. The Falcons don't blow many teams out - seven of their 11 wins have come by less than one-score - and Qwest Field is a tough place to play. We'll say, Falcons 27, Seahawks 16.