Seahawks top ESPN’s Power Rankings
Mar 19, 2013, 11:56 AM | Updated: Mar 20, 2013, 9:37 am
By Brent Stecker
What happens when a playoff team makes splashy offseason moves like acquiring playmaker Percy Harvin and top-of-the-line pass rusher Cliff Avril? If you’re the Seattle Seahawks, it lands you at the top of ESPN’s pre-draft Power Rankings.
The Seahawks edged NFC West rival San Francisco for the top spot in the rankings, which were released Tuesday morning, thanks to their huge first week of NFL free agency.
The ranking proves that the Seahawks’ moves have made waves not just in Seattle, but throughout the nation.
“High-risk, high-reward move for Percy Harvin got voters’ attention,” wrote ESPN NFC West blogger Mike Sando.
ESPN NFL Live’s Trey Wingo joined Brock Huard and Danny O’Neil on 710 ESPN Seattle Tuesday, and he further explained why the Seahawks leapfrogged teams like the Denver Broncos (ranked No. 3), Atlanta Falcons (No. 4), and the defending champion Baltimore Ravens (No. 8) on the list.
“I think that most people would think that Seattle right now might be the favorite to not only go to the Super Bowl, (but) win it,” Wingo said. “In fact, after the Harvin trade, the Vegas odds that we check had the Niners and Seahawks as co-favorites to win the Super Bowl this year, so it’s a national perspective.”
It also signals a gigantic shift in the NFC West, a division that was so poor just two years ago that the Seahawks won it with a 7-9 record.
“It is a really good time for the NFC West right now,” Wingo said. “The Rams are an interesting team with the moves they’ve made … and Seattle and San Francisco are going to be two of the high marquee teams this season.”
