Seahawks and Sam Darnold should be insulted by NFL 'trustworthy' rankings

No team in the NFC has more wins than the 9-3 Seattle Seahawks. They are tied for first place in their division. They own the NFL's 5th-ranked defense, No. 1 receiver and second-best road record at 5-1. Their three losses are all to teams headed for the playoffs, all one-score defeats in the final minute of the game.

Seriously, what's not to like?

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Um, according to CBS Sports, a lot. But it mostly starts and ends with quarterback Sam Darnold.

CBS this week revealed its "Tiers of Trust", ranking the 20 playoff contenders on the criteria of how trustworthy they are. The Seahawks should feel disrespected if not down right insulted. They come in ranked behind the Rams, Packers, Chiefs, Bills, Chargers, Cowboys, Patriots and Lions.

Why? CBS says it's worrisome that the Seahawks' defense is ranked 5th but the offense only 12th.

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"The Seahawks come closest to qualifying for Tier 1," CBS explains. "But that should tell you more about the state of the league than Seattle Sam Darnold has never won a playoff game, and after an outstanding start, he has started to tail off significantly. He has thrown just two touchdowns and four interceptions over the past three games, looking especially shaky when pressured."

The Seahawks travel to Atlanta Sunday to play the Falcons before consecutive showdowns in Week 15-16 against the Indianapolis Colts and Rams.

Sam Darnold | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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