This isn't college football.
All that matters is what we do in the playoffs, which is more a function of matchups.
However, a lot of writers have been burned repeatedly picking the Seahawks as a dark-horse SB option for years now. We were actually favorites a few years. It makes sense they are skeptical.
Since the SB loss, Carroll has not beaten a single playoff caliber team of note, but for wildcard teams. We got picked as favorites and received high power rankings only to be glorified wildcard teams for years. Some of the Seahawk fans are still skeptical with this defense - can you blame the media?
It shouldn't be that big a deal. Sure we put up points on Dallas. But so did the Browns. Do you really doubt Wilson couldn't put up more if we needed it though? Unless we revert to PeteBall, Wilson always gives us a chance to win.
But the Vikings, Bills, and Rams games will determine where this team really falls in power rankings.
Can we beat Green Bay or Tampa in the playoffs? I don't think anyone knows.
But I can't blame pundits for holding back on the rankings when have fallen short in the playoffs for quite some time. Even with a HOF quality QB.