As Seahawks safety Coby Bryant leapt into the end zone, grabbing himself in a manner that, well, let's just say it would make Marshawn Lynch proud, fellow defensive back Devon Witherspoon, fresh off of making a play that made the 69-yard pick-six possible, stood taunting the Arizona Cardinals sideline.

And just to be clear, Witherspoon had no complaints about the call, saying he got flagged for "Taunting. And it was definitely taunting. I ain't shying away from that. It was definitely that."

And while this game-altering play in a 16-6 Seahawks victory over the Cardinals took place, fans had Lumen Field rocking as their team won its second straight game over an NFC West rival to improve to 6-5.

It's not that the Seahawks want their players to be drawing wholly unnecessary 15-yard penalties, one that in this case contributed to a missed extra point, but everything about that moment, from a stingy defense making another big stop, to a defensive back making a game-changing play, to another young, brash defensive back talking his talk after spending the entire game walking the walk, all of it seemed to point to something bigger about this Seahawks team, which just might be finding something special midway through its first season under head coach Mike Macdonald.

Two weeks ago, the Seahawks were coming out of their bye having lost five of six to fall to 5-5 for the season. The Seahawks then went to the Bay Area to face the 49ers, a team they hadn't beaten since 2021, and pulled out a comeback victory behind a standout day from the defense and a clutch finish by Geno Smith and the offense. And then on Sunday, the Seahawks cooled off a red-hot Cardinals squad that had won four straight games to move into first place in the division, a win that has Seattle tied with Arizona at 6-5, one game ahead of the Rams and 49ers, who both fell to 5-6 with losses on Sunday.

"That was a big win," said Smith. "Felt like a playoff atmosphere. I thought the crowd was amazing. Just felt like our team was locked in and focused the entire game. Hard-fought game. I thought Arizona played really tough. You know, just overall our defense was outstanding. Leonard (Williams) wrecking the game, the way 'Spoon was flying around, Coby getting the pick-six. That was awesome. Really, really lit up the crowd."

And in that playoff atmosphere, the Seahawks looked very much like a playoff team dominating on defense throughout, getting big contributions on special teams, and getting just enough big plays from the offense on what wasn't the easiest day for that unit. In addition to providing the game's only touchdown, Seattle's offense burned 8 minutes and 12 seconds off the clock in the fourth quarter before Jason Myers put the game on ice with a 50-yard field goal.

"Just complementary football, defense stepping up when the offense needs us to do it, vice versa, offense coming through at the end; eight minute drive to put it on ice," Macdonald said. "Complementary is the best way, is the vision. Look, we got great players that are explosive. It would be great to create bit more explosive plays. Got to give Arizona credit for some of the things they were doing today. Those are some things we're going to need to counter in the next two weeks, but I think we are making strides. I think we are. I think we're improving."

Making Sunday's win all the more important was the fact that the Seahawks, who won their first two games at home this season, had lost four straight at Lumen Field prior to Sunday's victory. And making the win all the more impressive is that the Seahawks were operating under far-from-ideal conditions for much of the week, with the power out at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center from Tuesday night until late Friday morning due to the storm that knocked out power for hundreds of thousands in the Puget Sound region, and that had some people in the area still without power on Sunday.

"Thoughts and prayers go out to those people," Macdonald said of those in the region still without power. "From our perspective having gone through this week, we thought it was a great opportunity for us to come together. I hope everyone is still safe out there, getting through that. Obviously great to win at home finally after this hiatus and bring some joy back to some people's lives."

The power outage meant that, while the Seahawks had limited power in the building provided by generators, meetings had to be moved, there was no hot water in the building, and food service was limited. None of those potential distractions kept the Seahawks from focusing on the task at hand, however, and ultimately from earning a big win.

"We didn't blink," Macdonald said.

Added receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who scored the game's only touchdown and had six receptions for a team-leading 77 yards, "The whole week has been a little weird as you know with the power (outages). I'm just proud of my guys coming in here prepared and ready for today. I thought we attacked today well. We got the win. It was a big win for us. Playoff (type) game like we've been saying. Definitely happy with today."

For players, getting back on track at home was important, first and foremost because it's hard to have a good season with a losing record at home, and also to reward the fans who create such a special atmosphere at Lumen Field.

"That was huge," said defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who had a huge game with 2.5 sacks, six tackles, three tackles for loss and pass defensed. "We talked about that. We had a joke about being road warriors this year because we've been playing well on the road. Bringing a win back to Lumen Field is amazing. These fans deserve it. They bring it every game, regardless of how the season is going. I'm glad we were able to bring a win back to them."

Said Smith, "It was huge. I know our city was hurting for a couple days without power. That's funny, because they were electric today. I felt like they really brought the juice for us. We wanted to repay our fans. We always want them to be excited and happy for our team. The more we win, the more that builds, so we've got to keep this thing going."