You’d expect the Seattle Seahawks to fall in the NFL power rankings after their loss to the Rams, right?
That’s what happens when you lose.
And maybe you’d expect them to not fall far in those rankings as they had a chance to win despite the four turnovers.
And you’d mostly be right.
But did you expect one pundit to actually rank the Seahawks higher? Yeah, that happened.
We’ll let them tell you about it, and what they think of Sam Darnold’s performance:
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ESPN: 7 (5)
Who’s under the most pressure: Right guard Anthony Bradford. The pressure on Bradford isn’t about his next contract. It’s about the here and now, and how badly the Seahawks need him to even out his inconsistent play. No one on Seattle’s offense has come under more fire than Bradford, a powerful blocker who delivers dominant wins on occasion but has too many bad losses. The Seahawks don’t have any obvious alternative, especially with center Jalen Sundell — who could have moved to right guard — now on injured reserve. Left guard Grey Zabel also suffered a knee injury Sunday. If the star rookie first-round pick has to miss time, then Seattle will need Bradford to step up even more.
NFL.com: 4 (1)
Sam Darnold had a nightmare outing on Sunday, with four interceptions and a shocking lack of urgency on the final drive that could have delivered a victory for the Seahawks in a game they never led. For Darnold, it must have felt like a reprise of the playoff loss to the Rams last January, with picks replacing sacks as his downfall this time, and now Seattle probably has to beat Los Angeles in the Week 16 rematch and hope for some luck to avoid being a wild-card team. The Seahawks’ defense was pretty lights out most of the game, allowing just seven points in the final 45-plus minutes — and that TD came after one of Darnold’s INTs, when L.A. took over at Seattle’s 25-yard line. If the ‘Hawks can avoid turnovers, they’re good enough to beat anyone. If not, they’re ripe to be beaten.
Yahoo.com: 4 (3)
Sam Darnold had four interceptions, the Seahawks settled for too many field goals in the red zone, and they still would have beat one of the best teams in the NFL on the road if a 61-yard field goal found its mark. There’s no reason to downgrade the Seahawks much. They’ll be just fine.
CBS Sports: 7 (1)
Was that a one-game aberration for this version of Sam Darnold against the Rams? Or is it something to worry about?
Sports Illustrated: 4 (1)
Seattle’s turnover margin is concerning but a minus-seven after four Sam Darnold interceptions feels rectifiable at this point, no? Darnold is in this strange netherworld along with Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield where he’s not allowed to have a bad game, which spoiled the fallout of an otherwise defensive master class from both sides.
Pro Football Talk: 6 (6)
Even with an off day from Sam Darnold, they still had a chance.
The Washington Post: 2 (4)
Seattle rises to No. 2 because our power ratings consider how well a team played, not just the final score, and the Seahawks were the stronger team for most of Sunday’s game. They gained more yards, dominated time of possession and shut down the Rams’ offense after the first quarter. The loss was mainly a result of four Sam Darnold interceptions — high-impact turnovers that swing outcomes but don’t reflect Seattle’s underlying performance. Many will point to those interceptions — and Darnold’s high-profile struggles at the end of last season with Minnesota — as a reason to fade Seattle, particularly in big spots, but the fact remains that this is one of the strongest teams in the league.
The Athletic: 6 (3)
Sam Darnold wilted in the face of the Rams defense again, throwing four interceptions. For the day, Seattle lost the turnover battle four to one and scored just one touchdown on four red-zone trips and still lost by only two points. This is still one of the best teams in the NFL. It just needs to keep the ball on the ground against Los Angeles the next time.
USA Today: 3 (2)
OK, so we know the Rams have been Kryptonite for SoCal native Sam Darnold. But his team nearly pulled out the win despite his four INTs on Sunday. We also know Darnold has been an epic win for this locker room given the way LB Ernest Jones IV came to his defense after the loss to LA.
The Sporting News: 8 (6)
The Seahawks got clipped with Sam Darnold struggling in Los Angeles but they still had a chance to beat the Rams with field goals. Their defense continues to travel well to keep them in games every week.
Fox Sports: 6 (3)
Sam Darnold is a remarkable story, but he’s hard to trust in big games. If he was even average on Sunday, the Seahawks beat the Rams on the road. But oh, those four picks.
Bleacher Report: 7 (4)
Sam Darnold had his worst performance of the season in a crucial matchup. He threw four interceptions in the Seattle Seahawks’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Yet still, the team lost on a missed [61]-yard field-goal attempt.
There are no moral victories in the NFL this late in the season, but the Seahawks should feel encouraged that they were in a position to win the game despite Darnold’s turnover-ridden outing. It didn’t drop them too far in the rankings.
The Seahawks went down to the wire with the NFC’s best team without much help from their quarterback.
Seattle Times sports staff.