This is the defense we’ve been waiting for years to see.

Physical, smothering, capable of shutting down NFC West foes. It’s been a three-week run that makes you believe this unit is heading in the right direction.

Clearly shifting out Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson has had a major impact. Aside from that though, everything just feels far more connected.

In a game like this it would’ve been easy to commit to taking away the inside run with James Conner, leaving Kyler Murray opportunities to break contain and run for a ton of yards. They were able to restrict and limit Murray while also making Conner a non-factor in the game. That’s impressive.

Tre McBride collected yards but Arizona never felt truly threatening. Meanwhile, the pass-rush created havoc up front. This was about as comprehensive and impressive performance as we’ve seen in years by the defense.

Leonard Williams led the way with an incredible effort. How often do you see a defensive linemen with his size recording 2.5 sacks, three TFL’s, a pass deflection and four quarterback hits? It’s the best individual display by a Seahawks defender since Jadeveon Clowney wrecked the 49ers in 2019.

Williams had a sack rushing the edge, he consistently shot gaps in the interior and he overpowered Arizona’s guards and center multiple times.

Devon Witherspoon had a strong outing — including the key play to force Murray to throw an interception to Coby Bryant leading to a pick-six. Julian Love was excellent. The linebackers again played a solid, efficient game.

This is a defense you can believe in again and look forward to watching. Kudos to the team for making the necessary changes to turn the corner. They’ve gone from hopeless to highly effective during the season. If they keep this up, they’ll have a chance to win the NFC West.

As the defense progresses though, the offense sadly is regressing. It was painful watching the Seahawks try to run the ball today. There’s no movement up front. Geno Smith seemed to mix between having no time to throw thanks to the O-line or occasionally he took too long to get the ball out. Either way it led to pressure. Smith’s interception was a big error that almost turned the game — and there’s no getting away from the fact that he continues to mix between the sublime and the ridiculous in another seasons of contrasting highs and lows.

The big positive was Jaxon Smith-Njigba who continues to shine as he enjoys a breakout second season. It was also another good outing for Abe Lucas. Yet I can’t help but feel this offense isn’t what Macdonald wants. The O-line might be influencing a lot of their play calls but you don’t appoint a Harbaugh protégé to be throwing the ball in the rain with a handsome lead in the fourth quarter. I’m not convinced Macdonald and Ryan Grubb are that aligned right now and the offense often jumps between dysfunctional and broken and suddenly explosive and productive. You don’t need Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson to run the ball either — and they’re not finding solutions.

Don’t just take my word for it:

Some will argue time will be a healer but I’m already starting to think Macdonald might want a different approach next year.

That’s a bigger conversation for another time. Today the defense deserves the bulk of the attention and the Seahawks will head to New York next week with an excellent chance of extending their winning run to three games.