The Seattle Seahawks have exceeded national expectations this year with an impressive 5-2 start.

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They are tied for first place in the NFC West and are among a tightly packed group of six NFC teams with one or two losses. Among NFC teams, they rank second in scoring defense, tied for third in scoring offense and third in point differential. And according to FTN Fantasy’s DVOA rankings, they are the NFC’s best team.

But by and large, despite getting some more buzz in recent weeks, Seattle doesn’t seem to be garnering as much national attention as the NFC’s other top teams.

For instance, in this compilation of NFL power rankings, only one of the 10 rankings had the Seahawks among the NFC’s top three teams. Meanwhile, four of the 10 rankings had them as the NFC’s sixth-best team.

Why aren’t the Seahawks getting as much attention as the NFC’s other top contenders? Former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus and Stacy Rost discussed that topic Wednesday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.

The lack of a signature win

Bumpus thinks it’s largely due to the Seahawks not owning a signature victory yet. Right now, their two best wins are against the 4-3 Pittsburgh Steelers and the 4-3 Jacksonville Jaguars.

And with the Seahawks’ next two opponents being the 3-5 Washington Commanders and the 2-5 Arizona Cardinals, they might have to wait a bit longer for a chance to make a big-time statement. Their next opponent with a winning record is the 5-2 Los Angeles Rams, who host Seattle on Nov. 16.

“They don’t have that signature win yet,” Bumpus said. “… They’re waiting on their moment.”

A low-key personality

Bumpus also pointed to the low-key personality of this particular Seahawks team, equating it to the the Pacific Northwest as a whole.

“If you walk down the street right now, what are you gonna see?” Bumpus said. “North Face jacket, jeans, a vest. The Northwest is a real humble, low-key type of place. That’s exactly who (these Seahawks) are.”

Rost agreed. Even though the Seahawks have a lot of talented players — including NFL receiving leader Jaxon Smith-Njigba — they don’t have a bunch of big-name superstars that generate frequent national buzz.

“There’s not that massive star power right now,” Rost said. “… It’s a lack of sexy star power, big names, people who have been (on the big stage) before.”

Just how they like it?

All that being said, Bumpus thinks head coach Mike Macdonald and the Seahawks enjoy hovering under the radar.

“I think Mike Macdonald prefers it this way,” Bumpus said. “From what I know of Mike Macdonald, he is a blue-collar, humble, work-hard type of dude. … And I think he doesn’t mind being low-key and flying under the radar, because he knows that they’re moving in the right direction.

“Do they deserve a bit more attention? I would say, probably. But I also think that they haven’t done enough to warrant a lot of attention yet.”

Listen to the full Bump and Stacy conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune into Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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