ATLANTA—When Ty Okada broke up a fourth-down pass attempt in the end zone to prevent a touchdown, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald celebrated the play from the sideline like Okada just made a game-saving play.

It was a nice play by Okada, but it was also a play that came with the Seahawks leading the Falcons 37-9 with a little over five minutes left in the game, so it was hardly a make-or-break moment for the Seahawks.

But the fact that Macdonald and his defense were so excited by that play also helps explain why the Seahawks are playing so well on defense. To them, it was a make-or-break moment, big lead be damned. Never mind that the game was all but over, the defense didn't want to let the Falcons into the end zone, so they battled on every play to make sure that happened, including the previous third-down throw to the end zone, which Riq Woolen broke up with a great diving effort.

"It speaks a lot about our culture on defense," Okada said after the Seahawks' 37-9 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. "We take pride in, when we step on the field, it's our job to not let the other team score points. Whether we're up by a lot or we're up by a little or we're losing, the expectation and the standard is aways the standard as soon as we step on the field."

Seattle's defense played well in the first half to keep the game close before Sam Darnold and the offense caught fire in the second half; the defense then started piling up takeaways and big plays in the second half to help turn it into a blowout.

The halftime message from Macdonald that helped the Seahawks put a four-quarter performance together, as relayed by rookie safety Nick Emmanwori, was "Stick to the process, stay focused, go out there and kick ass."

By limiting the Falcons to three field goals, the Seahawks have now played two straight games without allowing a touchdown, having shut out the Vikings last week. For the Seahawks, and for the defense in particular, winning isn't enough, they want to win by being dominant throughout the game.

As players have taken to saying this season, games don't have to be close.

"I think we've grown in that area in terms of we talk about stacking wins, but now it's in terms of stacking plays," Macdonald said of the players' it-doesn't-have-to-be-close mentality. "So, just a moment-by-moment mindset of winning that down, winning that situation, and we just kind of reload and go back after it. I feel like our team has grown in that area. I know they say that, and it's cool. I love that mentality, but you're not really worried. We're just not worried about the result. I love how our mentality is really just focused on how we play, down-in and down-out, and control what we can control. I know it sounds kind of cliché and whatever, but that really is our mindset. But when you can stack a certain amount of plays together in situations, that's how you get stops, and that's how you limit points."

On their way to another dominant win, Seattle's defense produced three turnovers—interceptions by Devon Witherspoon and Emmanwori and DeMarcus Lawrence forced fumble that was recovered by Witherspoon—held the Falcons to 274 yards and 15 first downs, and they held the Falcons to a 1 for 13 conversion rate on third down.

Or for the simplest illustration of how good the Seahawks have been on defense lately, consider the fact that they have only one fewer takeaway (eight) than points allowed (nine) over the last two weeks.

"Man, this defense is special," said Emmanwori, whose big day included an interception, a sack, two tackles for loss, six tackles and a blocked field goal. "This defense is super special… We've got a lot of special dudes on this team, from D-line to the linebackers to the secondary. I think this defense is historic almost. People want to kind of shy away from saying that, but I really think this is a special defense."

Part of what has driven the strong defensive outings the past two weeks is the disappointment the defense felt with its finish in a Week 12 win in Tennessee. Yes, the Seahawks won the game 30-24, but the Titans managed two late touchdowns to turn what could have been a blowout into a one-score game.

"We knew we didn't play to our standard as a group, as a whole," cornerback Devon Witherspoon said of the Titans game. "We talked about it on the bus, on the plane and stuff, and we just said we had to get back to our roots. You can't go out there and let teams hang around with you, because in this league they'll beat you."

If the Falcons had closed out Sunday's game with a late touchdown, it wouldn't have affected the outcome or Seattle's place in the standings, but for a defense trying to live up to a self-imposed very high standard, that final stop was as big as any other throughout the game.

"It just shows the type of defense we are," Emmanwori said. "We've got a lot of resilience. A lot of defenses would have probably been in garbage mode and let them drive, but we've got a mindset like, we don't let them score. We were in the huddle every time like. 'Hey, don't let them score, don't let them in.' That's just a statement for our defense."