Last week, after the Seattle Seahawks lost to the league favorite, Los Angeles Rams, the Seahawks saw a dip in their national power rankings. Will a win over the Tennessee Titans be enough to move Seattle up, or the fact that it was only a one-possession win over the one-win Titans be enough to drop Seattle down?
Well, perhaps this author is a bit too strict on Seattle, because much to his surprise, all five national media sites polled (NFL.com, Pro Football Talk, Bleacher Report, ESPN, and CBS Sports)
have moved the Seahawks up in their rankings. The surprise may come in the fact that the Titans should have been a team Seattle blew out, and perhaps because once you are in the top echelon of the league, the standard for moving up is typically much higher. Regardless, the national media seems to stay high on the Seahawks.
Let’s start with the lowest rankings and make our way up. All three of ESPN, Bleacher Report (BR), and Pro Football Talk (PFT) have the Seahawks ranked as their 5th best team in the NFL. ESPN, who moved Seattle up two spots, from 7 to 5, has the Seahawks has the third best ranked team in the NFC, behind only the Rams (1) and the Philadelphia Eagles (4). Bleacher Report, who also moved Seattle up two spots, gives the Seahawks credit for not falling for a potential trap game that other contenders have fallen prey to this season. BR also made note of Seattle’s balance, one consistent of a “legitimate NFC contender.” PFT, who moved the Seahawks up one spot, made a simple statement “JSN? WTF!”
The Seahawks were the biggest mover up in CBS Sports rankings this week, moving up three spots from 7th to 4th. In this move up, CBS Sports made note of Darnold being able to bounce back after a four-interception performance against the Rams, while also singing the praise of Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
The highest ranking for Seattle this week once again comes from NFL.com, who moved the Seahawks up from 4th to 2nd. In this ranking, the Seahawks only remain behind the current Super Bowl favorites, Los Angeles Rams. NFL.com noted that Seattle was dominant for three quarters, but also made note that Smith-Njigba is maintaining his heater of a 2025 season. Smith-Njigba is “on pace to become the NFL’s first 2,000-yard receiver, and Seattle’s very competitive schedule down the stretch probably means he’ll at least have a shop of toppling [Calvin] Johnson’s single-season record of 1,964 receiving yards.”
Overall, the national media does not seem to be overreacting much to the closer than expected victory over the Titans. The fact that all five national media sites have the Seahawks in the top five of their rankings, and regularly sing the praise of the team, its balance, and Smith-Njigba’s dominance is truly an optimistic omen.
After week eleven, the average the average power ranking between the five sites (NFL.com, PFT, Bleacher Report, ESPN, and CBS Sports) was 6.2. After Week 12, the average power ranking between those same sites is 4.2. At this point, barring any injuries or complete fall off in play, the national media, and Seahawks fans alike seem to ready for Seattle to hit the playoffs and make some noise. However, it is only week thirteen, and zero playoff spots have even been clinched. The next test of this team’s resolve will come against Sam Darnold’s old squad, the Minnesota Vikings (who look to be quarterbacked by undrafted rookie, Max Brosmer, this week).
