Seahawks and Rams soar into top 2 spots amid major midseason shakeup

Folks, we just experienced Power Rankings history.

Never before — at least on my watch — have the top four teams all lost in the same week. But that happened on a wild Sunday, as the Lions, Colts, Chiefs and Packers all went down, with two of those nominal Super Bowl contenders falling at home. Perhaps we’re underrating the Panthers and Vikings (with J.J. McCarthy back), yet it’s still a tough look for those of us who slave all week long in the Power Rankings laboratory, trying to cook up the most accurate NFL pecking order.

That’s why I wanted to reward the Seahawks for their rollicking win at Washington on Sunday night, when they controlled the game from jump street. Some eagle-eyed Seattle fans rightfully raked me over the coals last week for dropping their team two spots after its bye, even if my intent was to spotlight a few clubs that shined while the Seahawks enjoyed their rest. The ‘Hawks looked beyond rested against the Commanders, improving to 4-0 on the road in dominant fashion. Also dominant were the division-rival Rams, who have won three straight. We’re at the midpoint of the 2025 campaign, and it’s hard to say many teams have been as consistently good as these NFC West rivals — who, we should note, are set to meet in two Sundays.

It’s rarely clean or easy around here, but when it comes to the Power Rankings, we aim to right wrongs and get everything as correct as we can, even if that means swabbing down the entire deck every few weeks.