Big Boi is a tough act to follow, but here goes. The Seattle Seahawks meet the Atlanta Falcons in the Georgia Dome today at 1:00. There are a couple things you should read before then:

• Jason Kirk’s short essay on the Falcons and the Atlanta sports scene. Kirk is funny on twitter and the web show Shutdown Fullback, but he strikes a rare serious tone in this enjoyable and very informative piece. Read it.
• Marshawn Lynch, the keystone of the Seattle offense, has a mild foot sprain but is expected to play today. Lynch, along with the Seahawks’ defense, is the reason Russell Wilson has looked so good, in my estimation. It doesn’t appear that the gritty back will be so limited that Seattle will be materially impaired, although a foot injury can’t be helpful to a running back. Unless Lynch is completely ineffective today, I don’t think this injury is enough for me to change my prediction that the visitors will win a technical upset over their top-seeded hosts.
• On the other hand, Atlantan Rembert Browne says he has “actual proof that the Atlanta Falcons will win.”
• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution put together this interactive by-the-numbers analysis, which suggests that the teams have played essentially evenly, the comparative difference being Atlanta’s reliance on the pass and Seattle’s reliance on the run, and the relative difference being Seattle’s advantage in overall offensive yardage. I’d call everything else a wash.
• A final prediction: how this game goes is up to Atlanta. If they come out flat, like they did against Carolina, it will be a long afternoon in the Georgia Dome. If they come out acting like they really have something to prove, like they did against the Giants, they’ve got a shot. Tony Gonzales may be the x-factor, though not necessarily in this regard. Anyway, if you really want to gain something out of all of this, read that Jason Kirk bit.