A weekly examination of the Seahawks' ESPN.com Power Ranking:
Preseason: 1 | Last Week: 1 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002
A near-miraculous second-half comeback to remain unbeaten wasn’t enough for the Seattle Seahawks to keep the top spot in the ESPN.com Power Rankings.
Seattle pulled off a 23-20 overtime victory on the road against the Houston Texans, but judging by how poorly the Seahawks played in the first half, it’s easy to see why the Denver Broncos leaped ahead of them.
Seattle was down 20-3 at the half after giving up 324 yards (including 226 passing yards) to the Texans. And the Seahawks' patchwork offensive line, down three starters, was a hot mess most of the day, allowing five sacks and looking clueless on how to keep the Texans' defenders out of the backfield.
However, the Seahawks are at their best when things look their worst. Down 20-6 in the fourth quarter, quarterback Russell Wilson used his running ability to lead the team to a 98-yard touchdown drive. And Richard Sherman made Texans quarterback Matt Schaub the most unpopular man in Houston with a 58-yard pick-six to tie the game.
The Seahawks' final 42-yard drive led to a 45-yard Steven Hauschka field goal that won it after the Seattle defense had held the Texans scoreless for the last 41 minutes of the game at 20-all.
So it was a tale of two halves. The Seahawks didn’t look like a team worthy of a top-10 ranking in the first half. They looked like a team of heart, grit and a never-quit attitude in the second half.
The end result was another victory, but a one-spot drop in the rankings.