NFC West Power Rankings entering Week 4: 49ers dominating

2. Seattle Seahawks (2-1)

After suffering a stunning loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the season opener, the Seattle Seahawks have bounced back with consecutive victories. Seattle put in an impressive performance to beat the Detroit Lions on the road in Week 2 and followed it up with a win over the Carolina Panthers.

Geno Smith has arguably the best supporting cast in the NFL. Running back Kenneth Walker III dominated against Carolina, putting up 156 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns on 21 touches. DK Metcalf had his first 100-yard game of the season, and Smith also gets to throw to Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

However, the Seahawks will remain pretenders in the NFC unless they improve defensively. Only the New York Giants, Chicago Bears, and Denver Broncos have allowed more points per game than the Seahawks, and they have a combined record of 1-8. Seattle has given up 407.3 yards per game in its opening three contents, which simply isn't good enough.

The Seahawks have an excellent offense and will remain competitive in the wild-card race -- upcoming matchups against the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals give Pete Carroll's team a good chance to add wins three and four to the tally.

But based on their performances in the opening three weeks, they are still a long way off the Niners in the NFC West.