NFL

2017 NFL Power Rankings: Preseason Edition

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7. Seattle Seahawks, 2.44 nERD

The Seattle Seahawks have had a top-seven nERD five straight years by posting marks of at least 8.48 since 2012 -- until last year when their score dropped to 3.32.

The offense ranked 5th through 8th in the four prior years, as well, but Russell Wilson's unit dropped to 15th in 2016. With injuries and behind likely the worst offensive line in the NFL, Wilson suffered a big setback to his efficiency. His 0.30 Passing NEP per drop back in 2015 (a career-high) dropped to 0.14 on 587 drop backs (a career-high).

Seattle brought in some line help (Luke Joeckel and Oday Aboushi in free agency), but it's probably not enough, though Wilson's mobility at full health can mask a lot of issues.

On defense, Seattle ranked inside the top eight for the fifth straight season but did drop from the top six in passing defense for the first time since 2011. They actually ranked just 15th in Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP per play last season. Still, the only thing that can hold back this team -- against the 24th-most difficult schedule -- is the offensive line.