The 28th-best team in the NFL??? What national pundits think about the Seahawks after Week 1

SEATTLE, Wash. --  The reviews from national sports writers following the Seahawks' 27-24 loss to the Denver Broncos are mixed.

In fact, they're not unlike comment's we've seen on our Facebook page. They're not exactly glowing. But some see a bit of hope in the young team's loss.

A list of power rankings by national writers and news outlets has the Hawks as low as 28 and as high as 17 in the 32-team NFL. Room to improve, certainly.

Here's what they're saying after Week 1 of NFL football.

NFL.Com - Ranked Seahawks #28 

NFL.com has the Hawks ranked the lowest at 28, falling a spot from 27 in the preseason rankings. They write "Seattle gave the Broncos all they could handle," but star wide receiver Doug Baldwin's injury knocked them down a spot from the previous week. As goes Wilson, so do the Hawks, NFL.com writes.

ESPN.com - Ranked #17

The Seahawks stayed in place in ESPN's ranking. The writers focused on the running game, saying rookie running back Rashaad Penny had a "quiet debut."

NBC Sports - Ranked #17

NBC has the Seahawks dropping a few spots in their latest rankings.  The culprit? The offensive line. "Von Miller vs. the Seahawks O-line looked like a mismatch heading into Week 1 and proved to be every bit that mismatch."

CBS Sports - Ranked #26 

The Seahawks fell a spot in the CBS national rankings. Again, it wasn't the loss to the Broncos as much as it was the loss of Doug Baldwin moving forward.

Sports Illustrated - Ranked #24 

The Hawks dropped the furthest in the Sports Illustrated rankings, falling seven spots from number 17 in the preseason polls. It was a pure ranking, and little explanation was given.

Despite the Seahawks falling across the board, there's still plenty of reasons to be optimistic. First and foremost, Russell Wilson. The young defense will gel around the leadership of linebacker Bobby Wagner.

And ahead of Monday night's game against the Chicago Bears, it's nice to remember the Seahawks are 7-1 in the team's last eight Monday night games.