Week 9 NFL Power Rankings Roundup: Seahawks Tumble Following Loss to Bears

It was a tough loss for the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football as the Chicago Bears walked out of Lumen Field with a 34-17 victory. That score makes it look far worse, but Seattle was in the fight during the fourth quarter before some untimely miscues, which included some uncharacteristic penalties.

Seattle is now just 4-4 on the season, which is a shock considering they went 14-3 a year ago and won the Super Bowl. There's no reason to panic yet, but they do need to start putting some wins together to ensure they don't miss out on the postseason.

The good news is that they still have an elite defense. The bad news is that their offense is still suspect. That's why they enter Week 9 sliding down many NFL power rankings.

Sports Illustrated

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold stands in the pocket against the Chicago Bears. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ranking: 6 | Last week: 3

Connor Orr dropped Seattle three spots, point out that Seattle had chances in this one but the pressure Sam Darnold was under proved to be too great.

"This was a game both select Bears players and striped-shirt gentlemen tried to invite Seattle back into time and time again. But Sam Darnold had defenders in his face all night. Jeffrey Simmons led the team in tackles and tackles for loss, and tied the team lead in quarterback hits," Orr wrote.

ESPN

Ranking: 8 | Last week: 5

ESPN moved them back three spaces as well, with Seattle landing eighth overall in their rankings and spending Week 8 at No. 5.

The Athletic

Seattle Seahawks kicker Jason Myers reacts after a blocked field goal by the Chicago Bears. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ranking: 9 | Last week: 7

Josh Kendall and Chad Graff worked together for The Athletic and says the Seahawks need to start converting in the red zone. If not, they could be in danger, especially now that they're three games behind the San Francisco 49ers.

"The Seahawks are still one of the better teams in the league, but they’re now a full three games behind the 49ers in the loss column in the NFC West, and playoff seeding is going to matter. A good place to start turning things around would be in the red zone, where Seattle is 29th in offensive touchdown percentage (46.4) and last in defensive touchdown percentage (83.3), according to TruMedia."

NFL.com

Ranking: 7 | Last week: 4

Nick Shook accurately points out that Jaxon Smith-Njigba is being asked to carry too much. While he's more than capable of racking up massive numbers, expecting him to be the sole source of offense for an entire season is not a winning strategy.

"Seahawks fans are likely entering Brian Fleury watch after what they saw Monday night. The oft-criticized offensive coordinator isn’t the only problem -- the three personal fouls committed by Seattle in the second half didn’t help, nor did Sam Darnold’s struggles under pressure -- but the way he approached the final seven minutes of regulation might loom large in his greater evaluation. The Seahawks’ defense is still largely a monster (save for red-zone situations), but the offense simply isn’t holding up its end of the bargain. Jaxon Smith-Njigba can’t save everyone," Shook wrote.

Bleacher Report

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba makes a touchdown catch against the Chicago Bears. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ranking: 13 | Last week: 7

Now that Seattle has lost three of its last four games, Brent Sobleski is wondering if their convincing win over the Kansas City Chiefs was the anomaly.

"At 4-4, Seattle's record properly represents who the reigning Super Bowl champions have been this year. In fact, the Seahawks have lost three of their last four, so their previous domination over the Chiefs appears to be an aberration," Sobleski

CBS Sports

Ranking: 14 | Last week: 6

Pete Prisco has Seattle on the edge of the playoffs at No. 14. He dropped them eight spots and says Darnold doesn't look right.

"They don't do enough on offense. Sam Darnold just doesn't look right. They got beat up at home by the Bears, which is not a good sign," Prisco wrote.

Darnold was beaten up all night, so perhaps the pressure was the issue. That said, Seattle must find a way to make him feel comfortable going forward. They also need to find some offense outside of JSN, although the return of Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price will help.

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