Insider not convinced by Seahawks' wins over 'pretenders' in 2025

Are the Seattle Seahawks a Super Bowl contender right now? The eye test suggests that they are, as does their on-paper roster. The team has an excellent QB, the NFL's best wide receiver, a dominant defense, and a quality run game. To top it all off, the coaching staff is good.

But according to one insider, the Seahawks aren't quite in the upper echelon of NFL teams this season. They're close, and there's so much parity right now that missing out doesn't really matter much, but still.

Seahawks miss out on elite tier from insider

Oct 5, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) carries the ball as. Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Kindle Vildor (22) defends during the first half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The Seahawks, despite often looking like one of (if not the) the best teams in football, were placed in the outer circle, which essentially means they're not quite Super Bowl contenders like the Bills, Chiefs, Lions, and Rams.

The Seahawks can reach an extremely high level on both sides of the ball -- especially when they're healthy in the secondary. All of their wins are against pretenders, though, and they've lost the two times when they've played teams in this tier," CBS insider Jared Dubin said. "I want to see what it looks like for them if and when they get down in a game and need to stage a comeback, too."

The Seahawks landed in this tier with several other good teams:

San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Indianapolis Colts
Philadelphia Eagles
Green Bay Packers
New England Patriots

As mentioned, the Seahawks have lost to two fellow teams in this tier, although back-breaking turnovers at the very end cost them. Without those foolish mistakes, they'd be unbeaten.

Darnold was sacked and fumbled (thanks to Nick Bosa) inside the 10-yard-line with the Hawks down four in the final minute against the 49ers in Week 1. An interception clanged off a helmet with the Seahawks driving in the final minute against the Buccaneers. The field position was good enough for a winning field goal that gave Seattle their second loss.

The good news is that those mistakes are fixable and they won't happen all the time. The bad news is that they happened and have kept the Seahawks from being undefeated and included in the elite of the elite.

Seahawks miss out on elite tier from insider

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