The San Francisco 49ers have taken firm control of the NFC West, but that doesn't mean the rest of the division is prepared to completely fall apart. After ugly struggles through the first half of the season, the Seattle Seahawks have shown signs of life in recent weeks and are now sitting at 4-6. They have a long way to go to get back into the wild card race (they are three games back of Detroit and Chicago), but given how they were performing early on, they are putting themselves into good shape for the stretch run.
SB Nation released their Week 12 NFL Power Rankings and as the 49ers continue sitting at No. 2, the Seattle Seahawks have climbed up to No. 23. Considering as recently as two weeks ago the NFC West had three teams in the bottom five, this is a big step forward.
The 49ers are closing in on the NFC West title and currently find themselves battling for a shot at a first round bye. The Seahawks have a shot at getting back in the wild card race thanks to a favorable schedule over the next month. Riding a two-game winning streak, the Seahawks' next three games are all at home against Washington, Philadelphia and St. Louis. Those are not easy games, but Seattle's home field advantage is rather impressive. If they can maintain the consistency needed to win three straight, a 7-6 record gets them right back in the thick of things.
Here are the top ten in the NFL according to SB Nation's Week 12 NFL Power Rankings:
1. Green Bay Packers
2. San Francisco 49ers
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Baltimore Ravens
5. Houston Texans
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
7. New England Patriots
8. Chicago Bears
9. Detroit Lions
10. Dallas Cowboys