It’s time for another Seattle Seahawks power rankings update!

In a stunner, two wins as underdogs against division rivals is enough to get you back in the NFC West lead, as well as back in the good graces of people who participate in these power ranking exercises. While the Seahawks are probably an average team through the totality of the season, the strong defensive showings over the last two weeks (and even the loss to the Los Angeles Rams) coupled with the emergence of Jaxon Smith-Njigba are grounds for optimism about this team’s playoff chances.

Here’s the latest roundup of notable NFL outlets and their team power rankings. I’d say the 12-15 range is more than fair, although The Ringer is really bullish about Seattle right now and puts the ‘Hawks higher than anyone else I’ve seen.

ESPN: No. 13 (Last week: No. 16)

The Seahawks’ offensive ranking is weighed down by their lousy run game. Seattle ranks 30th in designed rush rate and 28th in both yards per carry (3.9) and rushing yards per game (89.1). While quarterback Geno Smith is second in the NFL in passing yards (3,035), he has also thrown a league-high 12 interceptions. Personnel changes have contributed to a complete 180 on defense. That group has allowed an average of 14 points and 82.7 rushing yards over the past three games compared to 23.1 and 148.4 over the first eight. The special teams ranking reflects three turnovers on kick returns as well as a blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown. — Brady Henderson

The Athletic: No. 12 (Last week: No. 14)

Best-case scenario: Playoffs

Despite losing five of six games at one point this season, Seattle now essentially leads the NFC West because it owns the tiebreaker against the Cardinals. The Seahawks were outgained by Arizona and rushed for only 65 yards. Newly acquired linebacker and former Ram Ernest Jones has helped transform the Seattle defense, but it’s not enough to give this team a lot of playoff potential.

Yahoo: No. 15 (Last week: No. 18)

The Seahawks completely changed their season in eight days. They came back to beat the 49ers and then got a big win over the Cardinals to take over first place in the NFC West. Consistency is a challenge still, but there’s no reason an improving Seahawks team can’t win the division now.

NFL.com: No. 14 (Last week: No. 15)

Even after beating the Cardinals, the Seahawks have a lower chance (44%) to make the playoffs than Arizona (51%), according to Next Gen Stats’ playoff probabilities. Nonetheless, they outplayed the Cards and deserve to be ahead of them in the playoff-seeding picture for now. The defense has really gummed up these past two games, helping Seattle earn critical NFC West wins. Leonard Williams might have been the best player on the field Sunday, doing as much (six tackles, 2.5 sacks) to key the victory as the Seahawks’ pick-six did. Geno Smith’s red-zone pick was his third of the season and another reminder that he can make some frustratingly bad throws from time to time. But Seattle put together just enough big pass plays, with a lot of help from the ascendant Jaxon Smith-Njigba, to finish it off. Mike Macdonald’s first season has been a wild ride, and it’s still going.

CBS Sports: No. 11 (Last week: No. 14)

The defense has improved greatly since the bye. It seems they are getting a grasp of what coach Mike Macdonald wants them to do. They lead the division as we head down the stretch.

This was one of the better Leonard Williams games I’ve seen in terms of him popping enough to force me to re-watch snaps again the next day. He plays so well in assignment and was causing situations where Seattle’s faster outside defenders could collapse a lot of plays. His first hit on Kyler Murray was a bulldozer of a rush through two defenders. Williams is drawing about a 50% double team rate, which is a tremendous chess piece for Mike Macdonald’s defense.

Seattle is a difficult team to trust — a galaxy of stars (and potential stars) who don’t always create winning constellations. But in terms of pure talent (and a rising offensive line), there’s a lot to like about the Seahawks. Geno Smith has proven himself throughout his time in the Pacific Northwest … but the one thing he’s missing is a playoff win.

The Ringer: No. 10 (Last week: No. 15)

After they were dominated by Buffalo wire to wire and allowed the Rams to steal a game at Lumen Field in Seattle, I wasn’t sure whether this team could put it together in time to stay in the playoff hunt. Then Seattle turned around and beat the 49ers and Cardinals up front, pieced together enough pass rush to get some splashy plays on defense, and won the battle for explosive plays. This style of play is high variance by nature, so it’s hard to predict whether the Seahawks will have success the rest of the way, but they can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the league when they’re playing like this.

The lowly but still talented New York Jets are up next for the Seahawks. Winning that game would put Seattle two games above .500 for the first time since Week 4, and depending on results elsewhere, could put them in the “probable” side of the playoff picture entering the Week 14 rematch with the Arizona Cardinals.