Coming out of their bye week last month, the Seahawks had a 4-5 record and knew that their margin for error the rest of the way was slim if they had hopes of making the postseason. As a result, head coach Mike Macdonald and his players began referring to every game as a playoff-like situation. And since then, the Seahawks have won four straight to take over the lead in the NFC West, a turnaround that resulted from numerous factors, not the least of a which was a significant improvement from the defense.

"That wasn't really a luxury that we could afford at that time," Macdonald said of the shift in language. "Desperate times required desperate measures, and I wouldn't say it was desperate, but we had to start stringing wins together, otherwise our fate wasn't going to be in our hands come this time of the year. So you want every game to feel with a sense of urgency, like, 'Hey, we've got to do it right now. It's time.' Whether it's Week 2, Week 3, or Week 15, they all count the same, but when you put yourself in that hole that we were in, you've got to shake things up a little bit. So that was really the thought behind it."

That little shakeup seemed to have worked, and now the Seahawks head into he final four games of the season controlling their fate in the NFC West. But before looking ahead to the final four game stretch, first a look back at the past four games with our Seahawks third quarter honors.

Important disclaimer: These are very unofficial honors selected by a writer who might not really know what he's talking about, so please take all of this with a grain of salt.

Offensive MVP: QB Geno Smith

There was serious consideration to give this one to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has been on a great run, moving all the way up to sixth in the NFL in receiving yards thanks to a six-game stretch in which he has 592 yards and four touchdowns on 38 catches. But in this quarterback-driven league, it's tough to not make the quarterback the MVP so long as the quarterback is playing, well, and Geno Smith continues to play at a very high level despite, with the exception of last week's game against Arizona, not having a very productive or consistent running game to support him.

Smith's numbers during the current four-game winning streak have been solid, if not spectacular, as he has completing 73.4 percent of his pass attempts for 914 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, good for a 95.3 passer rating. But what those numbers don't show is how Smith continues to come through in the clutch time and time again. Smith led a game-winning drive in Seattle's Week 11 win over the 49ers, rushing for the winning touchdown with seconds left in the game, then in a low-scoring battle with the Cardinals the following week, he bounced back from an interception to lead a fourth-quarter drive that took 8 minutes, 12 seconds off the clock, ending in a field goal that gave the Seahawks a two-score lead to put the game out of reach. The following week against the Jets, Smith led another fourth-quarter game winning drive, then against the Cardinals on Sunday, he completed 80 percent of his passes, was turnover free, and had a 110.1 passer rating in a road win over Arizona.

Defensive MVP: DE Leonard Williams

Williams won NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors once in the past month, and probably should have won it twice, with the award going instead to teammate Coby Bryant in Week 12. In wins over the Cardinals and Jets, Williams, totaled 4.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, a blocked PAT, and most notably, a 92-yard pick-six to earn Player of the Week honors. And over the past four games, Williams has 21 tackles, 4.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, three passes defensed, and that interception that helped turn the tide Seattle's win over the Jets that before the interception appeared to be spiraling out of control thanks to multiple special teams miscues. Williams has been playing great football all season, but as interior lineman, that doesn't always show up on the stat sheet. In recent weeks, however, Williams has been wrecking shop and has the numbers to back it up.

Special Teams MVP: P Michael Dickson & K Jason Myers

It's almost impossible to pick between Myers and Dickson, who have both been great at their jobs all year, and over the past four weeks, so why not split the honor between the two of them?

Macdonald joked that Dickson deserved a game ball for being unable to punt with back spasms in a Week 13 win over the Jets, forcing the Seahawks go for it on fourth-and-six from their own 33-yard line on what ended up being the game-winning drive, then the following week Dickson returned to show just how valuable he can be, averaging 53.0 yards per punt with four of five punts downed inside the 20. Over the last four games, Dickson had eight of 15 punts downed inside the 20 while averaging 48.1 yards per punt.

Myers, meanwhile, has gone 8 for 8 on field goals over the last four games and made 8 of 10 extra points, with one attempt blocked, and the other missing from long range after a taunting penalty backed up the attempts. Over that span, Myers is 4 for 4 on field goals from 50-plus yards, giving his seven makes this year from 50-plus tying his career high and also setting a franchise record.

Best Newcomer: LB Ernest Jones IV

Since arriving in a midseason trade, Jones has been a huge part of the Seahawks' defensive turnaround, proving himself both as a playmaker and as an on-field leader who gets the calls from Mike Macdonald and has to put the plan into action after the ball is snapped. Jones has also helped fellow linebacker Tyrice Knight develop since taking over a starting job.

Six games into his Seahawks career, Jones is already a key piece of an ascending defense, and over the last four games he has totaled 39 tackles, as well a crucial interception to set up a touchdown in last week's win over Arizona.

Best Rookie, Offense: G Sataoa Laumea

Yes, he has only started two games, but Laumea has had a big role in helping Seattle's offensive line grow over the past couple of weeks since taking over the starting job at right guard. The sixth-round pick out of Utah has paired with right tackle Abraham Lucas to give the Seahawks a physical right side of their line, and with the starting five feeling as solidified as it has all season, there's reason for optimism when it come to the line continuing to grown late this season.

Also deserving of a mention is rookie tight end AJ Barner, who saw his role increase last month with the Seahawks dealing with injuries at tight end, and who has continued to be an important part of the run and passing games even with the Seahawks getting healthy again at that spot. Barner past four games have included a pair of starts, eight catches for 61 yards and touchdown that helped the Seahawks dig out of an early hole in their Week 13 win over the Jets.

Best Rookie, Defense: LB Tyrice Knight

Knight earned Rookie of the Week honors for his play in Sunday's win over the Cardinals, which included a career-high 12 tackles and two passes defensed, and since taking over a starting job in Week 10, the fourth-round pick out of UTEP has continued to improve playing next to Ernest Jones IV. Since becoming a starter last month, Knight has 35 tackles, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, two passes defensed and a fumble recovery in the last four games.

First-round pick Byron Murphy II also continues to play at a high level and be a key piece of Seattle's interior line, even if the numbers aren't always there on the stat sheet to show how much he is affecting games.

Best Play, Offense: Geno Smith's Game-Winning Touchdown Run vs. 49ers

The Seahawks had a couple of plays worth of consideration over the past month, including two in last week's win, a great third-down catch by Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who snagged a low pass after Geno Smith was hit as he threw, barely scooping the ball before it hit grass, and keeping his feet in the process in order to gain extra yardage after the catch. And just a couple plays after that impressive catch, Zach Charbonnet broke off a 51-yard touchdown run, Seattle's longest of the season.

But as significant and impressive as both of those plays are, the winner in this category is Smith's game-winning touchdown run against the 49ers, which capped a masterful drive by Seattle's veteran quarterback. Leading an 80-yard drive in the final minutes of the game with the Seahawks trailing by four points, Smith completed 7 of 8 passes for 54 yards, then he scrambled 13 yards for the game-winning score, having already had a 16-yard run earlier in the drive.

Best Play, Defense: Leonard Williams' 92-yard Pick-Six vs. Jets

Usually, a 69-yard interception return for a touchdown in a winning effort would be enough to be named best play of the last month. After all, that play helped Coby Bryant earn NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. That play stands out not just for Bryant's interception, return and memorable Marshawn Lynch-inspired celebration, but also for the effort Devon Witherspoon made to chase down Kyler Murray, pressure him into an errant throw, then run down field and throw a key block on the return.

But as great as that play was, the Seahawks had an even better pick-six the following week, with defensive lineman Leonard Williams feigning a pass rush before dropping into coverage, batting an Aaron Rodgers pass into the air, then catching the tipped ball and taking off down the left sideline for a 92-yard score. The 6-foot-5 Williams showed off both his ball skills and speed—he hit 17.84 miles per hour on the return, the fastest speed by a defensive tackle as a ball carrier since 2019—but what really makes that play stand out is its significance in the game. Williams made that play after the Jets, already leading 21-7, were back in prime position to extend the lead after yet another special teams miscue in a first half full of them. Had the Jets scored on that drive to extend the lead, the Seahawks may not have been able to come back, but Williams was able to flip the momentum, and the Jets would not score again in the game.