Seahawks-Falcons: What Experts Are Saying About the Game

SEATTLE, WA - If you're going by Las Vegas odds, the Atlanta Falcons are favored to beat the Seahawks in Saturday's NFC divisional championship game by 4-1/2 points.

But, Las Vegas is sometimes woefully wrong.

Here's what football experts are saying about what to expect on Saturday, and what the Seahawks can do to prove those betting odds wrong:

CBS Sports: The Seahawks have to control the clock. "Because of the greater likelihood of the Falcons having success against their defense, keeping control of the ball for as long as possible takes on much greater importance for the Seahawks this week. By limiting [Falcons Quarterback Matt] Ryan's chances to spray the ball around to Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, and Taylor Gabriel on the outside and/or Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman out of the backfield, the Seahawks can give themselves a much better shot at winning the game."

SB Nation: The offensive line has to perform. "By most metrics, and my own eyes, Seattle’s offense line hasn’t been good. Poor offensive line play is magnified on the road when it’s loud. It’s hostile and things might not go as planned."

Bleacher Report: Russell Wilson has to throw touchdowns. "Wilson won't be able to rely on a running game or defensive turnovers. One way or another, he's going to have to score a lot of points."

The Seattle Times: The Seahawks have already lost to the Falcons in a playoff game. "It was maybe easy to see the defeat four years ago in Atlanta as a sign of things to come with the Seahawks featuring one of the youngest rosters in the NFL."

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Julio Jones-Richard Sherman matchup will be fun to watch. "There figures to be quite a cat-and-mouse game as Jones, the Falcons’ All-Pro wide receiver, and Sherman, Seattle’s three-time first-team, All-Pro cornerback go at it, and the Seahawks try to figure out how to cover Jones."

NFL.com: Does Matt Ryan have something to prove? "Smart people will reject the narrative that he has something to prove to us because he's currently 1-4 in playoff games. Ryan himself said putting any worthless, extraneous pressure on himself coming into this game is just a waste of time."

ESPN: The Seahawks can pull off an upset by controlling Julio Jones. "Jones is going to make some plays. We know that much. He did it in the first matchup with the Seahawks in Week 6, catching seven passes for 139 yards and touchdown. And that's when Seattle still had free safety Earl Thomas, who is out for the entire postseason with a broken left leg. "

Forbes: Are the odds in Seattle's favor due to defense? "Because both teams have been hot, one of the best indicators for playoff success, it’s time to go with another factor. In the postseason, good defenses tend to beat out the best offenses. Seattle is the team that is superior in every way on that side of the ball in this match-up."

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