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It is not too surprising to see the national media move the Seahawks down in their power rankings, however there could be some discussion as to how much they should be dropped. This week, four of the five media sites reviewed (Bleacher Report, Yahoo Sports, ESPN, and Pro Football Talk) all moved Seattle down. However, one of the sites (NFL.com) decided to keep Seattle at the same ranking. Let’s start with the bad news first.
The biggest drop for the Seahawks was by Bleacher Report who dropped Seattle down five spots, from 9th to 14th. However, despite this far drop, Bleacher Report maintains optimism for the Seahawks, noting that they came out on the wrong end of a shootout with Baker Mayfield, and that “there wasn’t a team that looked better losing in Week 5 than the Seahawks.” ESPN, who dropped the Seahawks from 9th to 11th also had a positive tune in their analysis, mainly pointing to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and his dominance this season. (“With 34 catches for 534 yards and 2 touchdowns, he’s [JSN is] 11th overall in fantasy points scored through five weeks.”)
The one national media site who chose not to drop Seattle down was the one and only,NFL.com, who kept the Seahawks ranked 5th. In their reasoning, NFL.com stated that despite a late interception, Sam Darnold is looking great after throwing for 341 yards and four touchdowns with an 82.4 completion percentage. And because of this offensive success, the Seahawks look to be in a good position in the big picture, despite the loss to Tampa Bay.
Overall, despite the majority of the national media sites moving the Seahawks down, the genuine feel for the team remains positive, especially for the offense. After Week 4, the average power ranking between the five sites (NFL.com, PFT, Bleacher Report, ESPN, and Yahoo) was 8.2. After week five, the average power ranking between these same five sites is 11.0, just outside the top ten, and still within the playoff picture (top 14).
Huge tests remain for the Seahawks with both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans next on the schedule before the Bye week. A record of 5-2 is possible after those two games. However, so is a record of 3-4. Two very different records and feelings are possible for Seattle. Time will tell how the national feeling around this team will be entering the week eight bye and into November.
