The Seattle Seahawks were 3-0 heading into Week 4, but stumbled against the Detroit Lions, but despite the loss, most football analysts were pretty forgiving in their rankings, especially in light of the white-hot offense that put up over 500 yards. However, following a Week 5 stink-fest at home against a New York Giants team that shouldn’t have been allowed in the building, those same analysts won’t likely be giving the Seahawks the benefit of doubt. Let’s have a look, shall we?

ESPN, surprisingly, still has a fair amount of love for Seattle, at least relatively speaking. Ranking No. 4 after three weeks was a pleasant surprise, but the course correction over the last two weeks has seen the Seahawks return to just north of the median, and one spot above the San Francisco 49ers.

12. Seattle Seahawks (3-2)

Week 5 ranking: 6

Fantasy surprise: RB Zach Charbonnet

The Seahawks’ No. 2 running back stepped in when Kenneth Walker III missed two games and part of a third because of an oblique injury. With that extra work on top of his usual role as the power complement to Walker, Charbonnet has racked up 301 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns through five games. This was after last year’s second-round pick finished his rookie season with 671 yards and one touchdown in 16 games. — Brady Henderson

The Athletic effectively shared the same sentiment as ESPN, viewing the Seahawks as firmly in the middle of the pack, and just one spot above the 49ers.

13. Seattle Seahawks (3-2)

Last week: 8

Sunday: Lost to New York Giants 29-20

It’s still hard for folks to believe in Geno Smith. He was drafted 183rd in the preseason. Now that the season has started, he leads the league in passing yards (1,466) and is 19th in fantasy scoring (18.25). He threw for 284 yards and a touchdown on Sunday and led the Seahawks in rushing (72 yards). Kenneth Walker had only 19 yards against the Giants.

NFL.com wasn’t as kind as others following the Seahawks’s 3-0 start, but they also did not feel as if a loss to the Lions was much of a knock. Following the loss to the Giants, however, Seattle’s two-week run at No. 11 would come to an end. Falling four spots to No. 15, the trend of the Seahawks settling into the zone of mediocrity continues. Worth noting, San Francisco dropped six spots down to No. 18.

Losing to the Lions in Detroit drew no shame. That’s a quality football team, and the Seahawks were shorthanded. But what unfolded in Week 5 was harder to explain — and to swallow. The Giants were down two key skill-position players but still managed to rack up 420 yards and control the clock for more than 37 minutes, even while spotting the ‘Hawks a touchdown on Rayshawn Jenkins’ 102-yard fumble return. Seattle’s defense remains in rough shape with injuries, but the unit was healthier than it was one week prior. Tackling was a big issue on Sunday, and the coverage against a nondescript group of pass catchers was unacceptable. The problems weren’t all on defense, though. Geno Smith was sacked seven times, DK Metcalf lost a fumble for the second week in a row and Kenneth Walker III inexplicably had just four first-half touches after torching Detroit in Week 4. The 3-0 start suddenly feels like a distant memory with some tough games ahead, starting Thursday night against the 49ers.

Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr’s opinions of the Seahawks over the last two weeks have been fairly pragmatic.

17. Seattle Seahawks (3–2)

Last week’s ranking: No. 12

Last week’s result: lost to New York Giants, 29–20

This week: vs. San Francisco

Under no circumstances should the Seahawks have seven total carries between their top two backs, especially in a game that was never really out of contention. I understand wanting to attack a younger secondary with a veteran-laden receiving corps, but the Giants’ pass rush awoke, in part, because of Seattle’s unwillingness to call a more balanced game plan.

Yahoo! Sports’ Frank Schwab had the Seahawks fall from No. 10 to No. 18 this week with this scathing review:

Losing to a shorthanded Giants team at home, and doing it after getting a 102-yard fumble return for a touchdown, is inexcusable. And up next is a game against an angry 49ers team. It looks like Seattle’s 3-0 start was a mirage, after all.

The 33rd Team (great people over there, huge fan of their work), had this to say about the consecutive losses:

8. Seattle Seahawks (3-2)

Previous Ranking: 8

After a 3-0 start, the Seattle Seahawks have dropped back-to-back games. They had a massive rest disadvantage against the Giants (10 days vs. 6 days), and it showed.

Seattle’s defense couldn’t get off the field, and New York controlled the time of possession all game long. The most concerning thing for the Seahawks was their pass protection, as the Giants pressured Geno Smith all game. Seattle is still in a good spot in the NFC West, but its Week 6 matchup against the 49ers could go a long way in deciding its fate in the NFC.

Nate Davis over at USA Today, who notably promoted Seattle following the loss to Detroit, is now officially sick of Seattle’s crap, dropping us nine spaces to No. 23.

23. Seattle Seahawks (14): A weak schedule has masked some issues here, including the NFC’s second-worst turnover differential (-3). But most concerning is an offense that’s entirely unbalanced, throwing the most passes in the league and running the ball the fewest times.

Last, but certainly not least, a gentleman going by the name Pete Prisco, of CBS Sports fame dropped Seattle one spot, from No. 11, to No. 12, and I’m sure it hurt him more than it hurts us. His reasoning:

The defense has become a problem the past two weeks. I know they have some injuries there, but it has to be better than it was against the Malik Nabers-less Giants this past week.

Just as an added bonus, here’s what Mr. Prisco had to say about the 49ers, whom he ranked No. 14:

At 2-3, they have problems. Forget about the injuries. They keep teams in games because the offense isn’t scoring enough and the defense isn’t up to standards.

I’m just as disgusted as everyone else by Seattle’s loss to the New York as anyone (except Nate Davis, I guess), but these rankings actually made me feel just a little bit better. It’s still a long season ahead, and plenty of time to get this thing back on the right track, but for now, let’s hope vindication is in store for all of these analysts who kept our Seahawks ranked above the 49ers. SEA—!!!