Falcons vs. Seahawks, NFL picks and predictions 2016: Seattle heavy favorites in home game

The Atlanta Falcons are the talk of the league after beating the Denver Broncos last week, but they’ll face yet another huge road test against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6. This game might determine how legitimate Atlanta is in the NFC’s pecking order.

The Falcons are now 4-1 after a strong road win over the Broncos, last year’s Super Bowl champions. Although Denver was forced to start Paxton Lynch after Trevor Siemian suffered a shoulder injury, Atlanta got the job done with a 23-16 win. Matt Ryan threw for 267 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions, while Tevin Coleman tore up the defense with four catches for 132 yards and a score. In addition, Vic Beasley had a coming-out party with eight total tackles and 3.5 sacks. It was a solid all-around performance even with Julio Jones being held in check (two catches, 29 yards).

The Seahawks are coming off a bye week, which gave Russell Wilson some much-welcome rest after playing through ankle and knee injuries early in the season. They’re sitting at 3-1 and have sole possession of first place in the NFC West after the Los Angeles Rams stumbled in Week 5. With the defense playing at its usual high level and Jimmy Graham looking like his old self after major knee injury, Seattle is is positioning itself as a top contender once again.

The Seahawks rarely lose at home, so the experts are unsurprisingly favoring them to knock the Falcons down a peg. Only one of ESPN’s nine writers picked the Falcons, while CBS Sports favors Seattle 6-2.

It’s a similar story here at SB Nation, with seven writers and the OddsShark computer all picking Seattle. Not even Jeanna Thomas, a writer at SB Nation’s Falcons blog The Falcoholic, had the heart to pick her team here. Tyler Tynes and Louis Bien are the only experts taking the plunge on Atlanta.