GLENDALE—The Seahawks know wins are hard to come by in the NFL, especially on the road in a short week while facing a good opponent.

So yes, the Seahawks were in a celebratory mood after Jason Myers' 52-yard kick split the uprights as time expired to give Seattle a 23-20 win over the Cardinals.

With the win, the Seahawks improved to 3-1, having won three straight since a tough opening loss to the 49ers, and they have now won a franchise-record eight consecutive road games dating back to last season. So there's a lot to like for players and coaches as they head into a mini break coming off a Thursday night game.

But the Seahawks also know that, despite another win, they can still be better. They know that had they taken advantage of some first-half opportunities created by turnovers, or if they could have finished off a couple of second-half drives, or if the defense, which was outstanding for most of the game, could have just made one more big plays to stop Arizona's comeback effort, then they could have won Thursday's game in much more comfortable fashion.

"It's a great win," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. 'I'm just really proud of our team, how hard we're playing, how we're sticking together, the positivity, the fight. Just a really great win. It's a short week, you're on the road, (and) Arizona played a good game. That's a good football team we played, we know that. They did a good job of staying in the game and giving themselves a chance to win.

"Having said that, we didn't play our best game, and we had opportunities to put the game away throughout the second half. There are a lot of learning experiences that we're going to be able to take from this game so we can improve. The good news is we figured out a way to win the game, which after Week 1—we felt like we had an opportunity to win that game and we didn't figure it out. I feel like our team's growing, we're getting better, just really proud of our guys in the fight and the effort this week to get ready to go play their best football. It'll be good to have a break and then hit the ground running on Monday and get ready for Tampa Bay."

Despite allowing a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns, while also failing to close the game out on offense on a couple of occasions, the Seahawks remained poised and confident when they got the ball back with 28 seconds and one time out remaining on the 40-yard line thanks to a kickoff that failed to reach the landing zone. And with Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba coming through as they have done so many times this season, the Seahawks got into field goal range where Myers, who had missed from 53 yards earlier in the quarter, was able to drill the game winner.

"I've been on teams where it's like the sky's falling, and for us it was identifying the two-minute situation and AD (defensive coordinator Aden Durde) and the guys were talking to the guys on the bench and they're ready to go to overtime," Macdonald said. "They were talking about our overtime plan. It was just kind of like, 'Hey, what's next?' (Offensive coordinator) Klint (Kubiak) called some great plays. We had great protection on that series. We were fortunate with the kick not being in the landing zone. Sam and Jax were just lights out and just a great job overall. (director of football analytics and special situations) Brian (Eayrs) did a great job of managing the clock. That's just how we roll."

To veteran players, one reason why the Seahawks are succeeding this season, especially in tense moments late in games, is the closeness the team has built under Macdonald.

"To me, a great start to the season," veteran defensive end Leonard Williams said. "The record is great but also, for me what stands out the most is the connection, the type of mindset, the play style we have as a team. That stands out to me more than the record right now. So to me, the foundation is right. The growth of the team and the direction we're heading is right and the record is obviously great to have. But to me, that's the big picture.

"It's more than the record. That's been the biggest thing that I see in this team. You can ask a lot of the veterans who have been around and been on different teams; there is talent on every team. There are first founders, all-pros, and Pro Bowlers on every team that you're going to see. The teams that make it far are the teams that do well when they're going through hard times, close games like this; the connected teams are the ones that pull it through."

Asked where that closeness comes from, Williams said, "I think I just have to give a lot of props and credit to Coach Mike. Since OTAs and since him being in his second year, I think he took a lot more demand and charge of the team. He's hit a lot of points on the type of team and playstyle that he wants us to play. I think we took it to heart. We take ownership in the team as well as the players obviously. I think we made that culture ours and we're making it grow."

Of course, that closeness can only go so far, plays still have to get made on gameday, and so far early this season, the Seahawks finding ways to do that and win games, even on a Thursday when the game didn't play out exactly how the Seahawks would have hoped.

"Definitely not satisfied with our performance; definitely happy with a win though," said Smith-Njigba. "It's hard to get wins in this league. I'm just proud of our guys and how we came out. We'll get back next week and try to correct those things, and get ready for Tampa Bay."