Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch, the second-leading rusher in the NFL heading into Week 10, will be the X-Factor when he faces the Falcons at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Georgia Dome.
Lynch, who rushed for 125 yards in a 27-24 win over Tampa Bay last week, has rushed for 726 yards on 167 carries (4.3 per carry) and six touchdowns.
The Falcons have allowed more than 100 yards rushing in each of their past five games.
The Falcons held Lynch to 46 yards rushing on 16 carries last season in the 30-28 divisional round playoff victory Jan. 13.
The Falcons don’t want to see Lynch slip into his “Beast Mode” persona, when he starts running through defenders like on a video game.
“They are No. 1 in explosive plays by our gauge, and that’s 10-yard runs and 20-yard passes; they are No. 1 in that,” Nolan said. “Lynch is No. 1 in plus-10 yard runs.”
Seattle averages 147 yards rushing per game and ranks fifth in the league. The Falcons give up 116.3 yards per game, 20th in the league.
New England (132), New York Jets (118), Tampa Bay (111) Arizona (201) and Carolina (131) have rushed for more than 100 yards against the Falcons in their past five games.
The Panthers picked up their yards after they mounted a 21-point lead and wanted to run out the clock.
“I thought we did a pretty good job,” Nolan said. “I know this, we did a better job than we did at any time last year against that same Carolina football team in both games. So, I was really pleased with that.”
The Falcons must also account for Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, who’s rushed for 375 yards on 67 carries.
Nolan is confident that his defense will hold up.
“The run defense for us has actually been a strength, but we gave up that 80-yarder against Arizona, and that makes everything look not as good,” Nolan said. “We’ve been playing (the run) fairly good.”
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