Seahawks-Falcons: Duane Brown likely to start

Reports are that Seattle Seahawks left tackle Duane Brown game a thumbs up to reporters after working out with trainers and testing his ankle in the pregame. This means he is likely to start at left tackle against the Atlanta Falcons.

Just before halftime of his second game with the Hawks, Brown suffered an ankle injury when a Cardinals defender rolled up on his leg. Just a couple of days after the incident Brown took to social media to let fans know he would be “aight”, and now it appears that “aight” means able to start in an important primetime matchup with significant playoff implications.

Heading into the game the Seahawks sit in second place in the NFC West Division and in the sixth and final NFC playoff spot. A win against the Falcons would move Seattle into a tie for first with the Los Angeles Rams, and by virtue of their week five victory over L.A., the Seahawks would be in first place. Moving into first place in the NFC West would bump Seattle up to the four seed in the NFC playoff race. On the other hand, a loss would drop them out of playoff seeding.

Obviously there is a lot of football left to be played this season, but the NFC playoff picture is extremely crowded at the top. Taking a strong position early could prove extremely beneficial as the season winds down, and having their three time Pro Bowl left tackle healthy against the Falcons should help the team immensely.