Seahawks Remain Underdogs Despite Elite Ranking in Preseason Week 2 Power Rankings

The Seahawks are the defending champions, so it's no surprise they're one of the highest-ranked teams entering Week 2 of the NFL preseason.

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald during the first training camp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Seattle Seahawks enter the 2026 season in an unusual situation. They're the defending champions after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, but they're not currently the favorite in their own division.

Seattle understands they have another elite franchise in the NFC West, having to go toe-to-toe with the Los Angeles Rams last year for the No. 1 seed in the conference. They then needed to get through the Rams to make the Super Bowl as the two teams squared off in the NFC Championshipd Game.

Despite winning the division and the title, the Seahawks are still seen as the underdogs in their division, but that doesn't mean they're not an elite team. In fact, Peter Dewey recently ranked the Seahawks second overall in SI Betting's NFL Power Rankings. The only team ahead of them was Los Angeles, although Dewey believes their record against the Rams in 2025 makes them a favorable bet.

"It's hard not to love Seattle's roster entering the 2026 season, but the Seahawks will have a harder schedule after winning the NFC West last season," Dewey wrote.

"Still, I think they're pretty favorably priced in this market (+1100) considering they beat the Rams on multiple occasions, including the NFC title game, last season."

Seahawks have the right mental toughness to repeat

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald is doused with gatorade after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Seahawks didn't only defeat the Rams to get into the Super Bowl, but they also had to knock off the San Francisco 49ers, another divisional rival. Facing two of the top teams in the conference twice per season is challenging, but head coach Mike Macdonald and his team have been able to use that to help build their confidence.

Seattle wasn't the favorite to win the division a year ago and they pulled it off. They were even impressive enough that by the time they went into the NFC title game, they were slightly favored over the Rams.

As we now prepare for the 2026 season, the Rams added two elite defenders in Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie. Those additions have them as the team to watch and could again cause the Seahawks to be overlooked. That won't remain the case for long, however, since this team has the mental toughness and self-confidence to defeat anyone.

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