Entering Week 8, the Seattle Seahawks moved back up the national power rankings after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs. However, now after losing by double digits to the Chicago Bears
, they surely will drop back down. The question is by how much. Let’s take a look at five national media sites (NFL.com, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report (B/R), Pro Football Talk (PFT), and ESPN) to see where they rank Seattle.Let’s start with the two sites who were the most punitive of Seattle. Both CBS Sports and BR have
dropped the Seahawks down six spots, out of the top 10. CBS Sports, which dropped Seattle from 8th to 14th best in the league stated that Sam Darnold “just doesn’t look right”. Meanwhile B/R, which dropped Seattle from 7th to 13th, note that their 4-4 record appropriately represents how the team has performed this year. B/R further notes that the domination over the Kansas City Chiefs “appears to be an aberration.”
Not all national websites were as harsh on Seattle. PFT dropped Seattle only two spots, from 7th to 9th, noting that the Seahawks (or the Los Angeles Rams) very well may not make the playoffs this year. ESPN also dropped Seattle, from 5th to 8th. In their rankings this week, ESPN talks about the biggest trade acquisition teams have ever made. Their choice for Seattle was Marshawn Lynch.
The highest ranking the Seahawks earned this week was from NFL.com who ranked Seattle 7th-best in the league, down three spots from last week. Adding to the concerns about the offense, NFL.com also noted that offensive coordinator, Brian Fleury may be on a job watch after the offensive performance against the Bears.
Overall the national landscape were not gentle with their rankings of Seattle this week. This may be a culmination of the team losing three out of their last four games rather than a reaction to one loss to a strong Chicago Bears team. The offense continues to struggle, and if it continues, it is difficult to see the Seahawks make noise in the playoffs this year (that is if they even make it).
Entering week 8, the average power rankings between the five polled sites was 5.8. Entering Week 9, that average has fallen all the way to 10.2. Next week the Seahawks have a chance to get back on track against the Arizona Cardinals.
