SEATTLE – The Seahawks lost five of six games after their 3-0 start. They lost several key defensemen to injuries and their starting center to an abrupt retirement. They even lost power at team headquarters earlier this week after a massive storm, the latest setback they faced in Mike Macdonald’s debut season as head coach.

But the Seahawks overcame the upset and then overwhelmed Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals’ offense Sunday at Lumen Field en route to a 16-6 victory that gave Seattle a share of first place in the NFC West at 6-5.

“We didn’t blink,” Macdonald said of the focus his team showed under challenging conditions. “It feels like something happens every week, so it’s kind of normal for the course at the moment, and that’s good. We’ll move on.”

The Seahawks snapped Arizona’s four-game winning streak while notching a sixth consecutive victory over their division rivals.

Their strong defense led the way, keeping Arizona out of the end zone, sacking Murray five times and outpacing the Cardinals’ offense thanks to a pick-6 from safety Coby Bryant.

Seattle pressured Murray on 42% (18 of 23) of his dropbacks. That was the most pressure the quarterback has faced in a game he has started and finished since 2021, according to ESPN Research. Murray was 4-for-12 for 54 yards and the interception when pressured Sunday.

Cornerback Devon Witherspoon was closing in on Murray during a rollout in the third quarter when the signal caller overthrew wide receiver Michael Wilson. Bryant picked it up, raced 69 yards to the end zone and paid tribute to Marshawn Lynch as he crossed the goal line, grabbing his groin as Lynch did at the end of his famous tackle-breaking, 79-yard touchdown run against the Cardinals in 2014 .

“I know they’re going to fine me,” Bryant said, “so hopefully you’ll see this, Marshawn.”

Bryant described the past week as “crazy,” with the Seahawks having to make do with limited backup power at the team’s headquarters for several days after high winds from a storm on Tuesday caused a massive power outage that affected hundreds of thousands of people in the West of Washington.

“I’ve never been part of anything like this,” Bryant said. “But that shows that we are willing to work, and regardless of the circumstances, we will just go ahead and control what we can control. It is clear that we cannot control the power.”

The Seahawks’ Virginia Mason Athletic Center had little to no lighting in some areas, forcing players to use the flashlights on their cell phones to look inside their lockers on Wednesday and Thursday. They also had no hot water.

“The guys didn’t complain; they just rolled with the punches,” general manager John Schneider said during a pregame interview on the team’s radio network. “To be able to get hot water on Thursday, you would think we struck gold. It was amazing. It was great to see everyone just bonding together and going through that process because it was… highly unusual.” I’m still I don’t have power in my house. It was kind of a wild deal.”

Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the Seahawks’ offensive standout on a day when their run game once again struggled, generating just 65 yards on 25 rushes. The second-year wideout caught six passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, continuing his recent tear.

Seattle quarterback Geno Smith entered Week 12 tied for the NFL lead with 11 interceptions, and he threw another on Sunday. He was fouled out on the first play of the fourth quarter while throwing through traffic into the end zone, which he called a “terrible mistake.”

But Smith, who was 22 of 31 for 254 yards and a touchdown with the lone interception, responded by leading a 13-play, 49-yard drive that ate up more than eight minutes of game clock. Jason Myers capped it off with a 50-yard field goal to make it a two-score lead for the Seahawks.

The day belonged to Seattle’s defense, which held Arizona to 3.5 yards per carry and has now put together three strong performances in a row.

“I feel like the collectiveness and cohesion in this defense is growing more and more,” said defensive tackle Leonard Williams, who had 2.5 sacks and three tackles for loss in his most dominant game since Seattle acquired him via trade in October 2023 . When you look each other in the eye, say it’s, “Okay, we got this.” There were times early in the season when I didn’t feel the same when I looked into a teammate’s eyes. There were times when we were in a game and we were a little down and I looked someone in the eye and they didn’t have the same fight in them.

“And I feel like we’re on that track now and it means more.”

The Seahawks, who snapped a six-game losing streak against the San Francisco 49ers last week in California, play at the New York Jets next week before their rematch against the Cardinals in Arizona. Macdonald announced the commitment earlier this week, saying the Seahawks approached this crucial stretch with a “playoff mentality.”

His team responded again on Sunday.

“The whole week, as you know, was a little bit weird with the power,” Smith-Njigba said. “I’m just proud that my guys come in here prepared and ready for today. I thought we attacked well today. We got the win. It was a big win for us. Playoff game, like we said.”