CHARLOTTE—Moments after Sam Darnold's third-quarter pass to the end zone was intercepted, the Seahawks defense took the field not dejected about what could have been a critical turnover—the score was tied at the time—but rather fired up about an opportunity to get the ball back.

"It just gave us another opportunity to take the ball away," said Pro Bowl outside linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence after Seattle's 27-10 win over the Panthers. "We were able to capitalize on our opportunity and come out with a win."

And take the ball away Lawrence did, punching the ball out of Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard's hands, then pouncing on the loose ball, one play after the Darnold interception.

Darnold and Seattle's offense took advantage of the short field, scoring the game's first touchdown to make it 10-3. Then, only three plays after Zach Charbonnet's touchdown run, the defense got its second takeaway, this time a Julian Love interception. Again, the offense capitalized, with Darnold hitting AJ Barner for a 17-yard touchdown, and in less than seven minutes of game time, the Seahawks went from tied and having just committed a turnover in the red zone to leading by 14 points thanks to two big plays by the defense.

"That's what they do," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. "That's what they do. They take pride in it. It's not like I'm the one telling them to go out—I mean I am, but they respond to each other. It's a special group."

Said Darnold, "It's unbelievable. Our defense has been doing that all year. They've been stepping up in such a huge way, especially for me. Like that turnover, I just got to move on in my progression or at least make an us-or-nobody throw where Jax (Smith-Njigba) can go up and get it or it's incomplete. Our defense has had our back all year and vice versa. When we feel like we need a spark, our offense stepped up in big ways as well. It's just complementary football all season long and this one especially."

And while those two plays by Lawrence and Love were game-changers, they were hardly the only highlights for a defense that had one of its most dominant performances yet in a season full of them. In addition to forcing multiple turnovers for the eighth time this season, the Seahawks also held the Panthers to just 139 yards, 40 passing yards and 10 first downs, all of which were season-lows for Carolina's offense, as well as season-lows for Seahawks opponents this season. The Panthers were also just 1 for 11 on third down, averaged only 2.7 yards per play, and averaged 3.8 yards per rush as the Seahawks defense had its 25th consecutive game without allowing a 100-yard rusher, a franchise record and the longest current streak in the NFL.

"Man, it's great to have the best defense in the world," Smith-Njigba said. "Like I said, we know we're going to get opportunities to go down there and do our thing. So it's about executing and playing good ball. Defense using the offense and offense using the defense. So, it been good."

That the defense was able to pick up the offense immediately after a turnover, followed by the offense capitalizing, is just the latest example of the type of complimentary football the Seahawks have been playing all season. Over the course of the season, the Seahawks have been really good in all three phases, but what has really stood out is how often one or two of those phases will step up when one slips up or has a subpar game. Last week, the Rams gained 581 yards and scored 37 points, including a go-ahead touchdown in overtime, but Seattle offense was able to match LA score for score, then win the game with a touchdown drive and 2-point conversion in overtime. This week, the offense struggled to get going in the first half and turned the ball over twice, but the Seahawks still won by a large margin because of how the defense stepped up.

"It's a dynamic of us taking care of each other, fighting for each other," Lawrence said. "The offense makes a mistake, defense helps; defense makes a mistake, offense is right there to have our back. It's just a testament to the brotherhood that we have here and the football that we're playing."