Seahawks Vaulting Up NFL Power Rankings After Dominating Road Win
Six games through the 2025 season, and one thing is for sure: The NFC West is a loaded division. The Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Rams are all tied at 4-2.
Mike Macdonald’s team bounced back from a tough loss late at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a dominating road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. First-year head coach Liam Coen had the Jaguars 4-1 going into the game after wins over the 49ers on the road and over the Kansas City Chiefs.
After an impressive road win, Seattle has quickly moved up most of the NFL power rankings ahead of Monday night’s home game against the Houston Texans.
Seattle Rising Up Power Rankings
After the win over the Jaguars, the Seahawks are moving up the NFL power rankings through the first six games. Here is a rundown of where they stand as of mid-October.
ESPN.com: No. 8 (up from No. 11)
What was the lesson learned? Don’t count out a first-round pick after one underwhelming season, according to Brady Henderson.
“Defensive tackle Byron Murphy II is showing why. The No. 16 selection in 2024 was plenty disruptive as a rookie but not productive, finishing with half a sack and two tackles for loss in 14 games. But he’s making a massive second-year jump. Along with seven pressures, Murphy had two sacks Sunday to give him a team-high 4.5 through six games. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence also said Murphy is “hands down” the team’s best run defender.”
The Athletic: No. 9 (up from No. 12)
What has been part of Seattle’s success this year? Sam Darnold and his 0.27 EPA per dropback is the best of his career and ranks fourth in the league. This is turning into one of the underrated moves around the league.
Pro Football Talk: No. 9 (up from No. 13)
What should the Seahawks do to have more success at Lumen Field, according to Mike Florio? “They should wear their white jerseys at home,” he wrote.
The Ringer: No. 7 (even from last week)
Seattle remained in the same spot as last week. It should be noted that Diante Lee still has the Seahawks above the Buccaneers despite their loss at home two weeks ago.
“If there were any questions about how much credit Seahawks GM John Schneider has deserved for the construction of Seattle’s roster, this is the season to put those concerns to bed. Quarterback Sam Darnold is thoroughly outplaying his predecessor, Geno Smith, whom Schneider chose to trade to Las Vegas. The passing game hasn’t missed departed receiver DK Metcalf at all… Schneider is executing one of the best pivots we’ve seen in recent years, and Seattle still has another level it can reach once it’s healthy again on defense,” Lee wrote.
CBS Sports: No. 7 (up from No. 14)
Seattle was Pete Prisco’s biggest mover this week, up seven spots after beating Jacksonville on the road.
“The defensive front was dominant in the victory over the Jaguars with seven sacks. Mike Macdonald has himself a nasty unit on defense, and Sam Darnold loves the deep ball,” Prisco wrote.
Can the Seahawks Continue Early-Season Success?
The long-term answer is yes, but some challenges are coming up in the short term. It begins on Monday night at home against Houston for Seattle. They have struggled this year after winning the AFC South, but they are coming off a bye and a 34-point win over the Baltimore Ravens on October 5.
According to Tankathon, Seattle has the 10th most difficult schedule remaining with a .540 strength of schedule left. It’s tied with the Philadelphia Eagles. Their toughest remaining games are two with the Rams and one each with the 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, and the surging Indianapolis Colts, who are currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Atlanta knocked off the Buffalo Bills on Monday night football and will travel for a Sunday night game against San Francisco.
Seattle is favored in six of their last 11 games, including Monday night’s game against Houston. The Seahawks get a perfectly timed bye after the Texans before a trip to play the Washington Commanders. There is still a lot to be determined, but the success of the road results against good teams is being noticed around the league.
Steelers Facing a Crucial Decision After Christian Kuntz Injury
The Pittsburgh Steelers may need a new long snapper, as veteran Christian Kuntz suffered a preseason injury that could sideline him for most — if not all — of 2025.
Per long-time Steelers beat reporter Mark Kaboly on August 18, “Steelers LS Christian Kuntz’ injury is his sternum. It is believed to be broken, according to a source.”
Kaboly added that a broken sternum “would keep [Kuntz] out for several weeks to months.”
Pittsburgh does not currently have another long snapper on its 90-man preseason roster. But according to Steelers Now beat reporter Alan Saunders on August 17, the team “hosted [long snappers] Rick Lovato, Jake McQuaide, Taybor Pepper and Patrick Scales for tryouts at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Sunday.”
Saunders noted that “all four are veterans with significant NFL experience.”
Christian Kuntz Has Quietly Gotten the Job Done Since 2021
Most fans don’t really think about the long snapper position until an errant snap sails over the punter’s head for a disastrous turnover, or until a key field goal is botched. But it’s an important role on special teams, and there’s generally only one of them on the roster.
For the Steelers, Kuntz has quietly made this job a non-issue since 2021, logging 71 straight appearances for Pittsburgh (including 3 playoff outings).
The steady veteran has also been credited with 9 total tackles, and he’s generally been very reliable at what he does.
Per Steelers Now writer Chris Ward, “the Steelers originally signed Christian Kuntz as a free agent on Aug. 15, 2019. He re-upped with the Steelers in March of 2024 with a three-year extension.”
Long before that, “[Kuntz] recorded five tackles and a sack in [his first] preseason game [with the Steelers] against Carolina,” according to Ward, “but was among the team’s roster cuts at the end of camp.”
“Kuntz [then] played with the Dallas Renegades of the XFL in the spring of 2020,” the Steelers writer continued. “After the XFL folded, Kuntz rejoined the Steelers. He was waived on Aug. 2, but the Steelers re-signed him to their practice squad on Nov. 24. He spent the rest of the season on and off the practice squad, as the Steelers attempted to keep backups for all three of their specialists within the NFL’s COVID-19 testing protocols.” The rest is history.
Kuntz also spent time with the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018 and 2019, but did not play in a game.
Steelers HC Mike Tomlin Initially Mentioned ‘Good News’ After Kuntz’s Injury, ‘Pleased With’ Emergency Option
Kuntz was injured during the second preseason outing of 2025 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After the game, ESPN reporter Brooke Pryor relayed that “Tomlin says he thinks they got some ‘good news’ on Christian Kuntz’s injury.” But it appears that the good news may have simply been that the injury is not season-ending.
Pryor also noted that Tomlin described Kuntz’s injury as a “chest” issue at that time.
2024 defensive line draft pick Logan Lee took over for Kuntz as the long snapper after his injury, so the Steelers do have an emergency option on the roster in the event that they need one.
On Lee snapping, Tomlin said: “I certainly was pleased with the work that Logan gave us tonight. He’s worked at it since he’s been here. Versatility helps him and helps us.”
Keep that tidbit in mind if Lee ends up making the 53-man roster.
