SEATTLE — In Mike Macdonald's 11th game as coach, the Seahawks turned in the kind of defensive performance that hearkened back to the team’s Pete Carroll glory days.

The kind of performance the Seahawks hoped Macdonald could help the team produce when he was hired last winter to replace Carroll in the midst of three seasons of mostly dormant defense.

It arrived at a good time as the Seahawks (6-5) needed almost everything the defense could give them to win an NFC West showdown to beat the Arizona Cardinals (6-5), 16-6, and move into a tie for first place.

The defense not only held the Arizona out of the end zone — allowing the Cardinals only two short field goals — but also scored the key touchdown of the game, a 69-yard interception return by Coby Bryant that put the Seahawks up 13-3 with 7:12 left in the third quarter.

That play turned on a bit of good fortune for the Seahawks.

It appeared the Seahawks might have been their own worst enemy as a time out called just before the ball was snapped negated an incompletion on Arizona’s first attempt at converting a fourth-and-1.

No matter. Arizona’s second attempt turned out even better for the Seahawks.

Arizona QB Kyler Murray faked a handoff and looked to find open space to run for the first down.

Only, Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon pivoted and quickly caught up to Murray forcing him to look for his second option, a throw to Michael Wilson. Witherspoon’s pressure forced a harried pass by Murray that went straight into the arms of Bryant.

Helped by a convoy of defenders now turned blockers, Bryant sped down the sidelines to the end zone.

There, Bryant paid an homage to Marshawn Lynch with a backward, twisting leap as he crossed the goal line, then got up and jumped into the crowd.

Macdonald raced down the sideline along with Bryant, throwing a few fist bumps as he sensed the imminent touchdown.

Witherspoon was flagged for a personal foul, which resulted in a 50-yard PAT that Jason Myers missed.

No matter.

Arizona had no real answers for the Seahawks’ defense on this day, especially lineman Leonard Williams, who was a one-man wrecking crew much of the day finishing with 2.5 sacks, four QB hits and six tackles.

The Seahawks held Arizona to just 49 yards rushing on 14 carries and forced six punts and had an interception on the Cardinals’ first eight possessions.

A Geno Smith interception on the first play of the fourth quarter — his 12th of the year — kept the door open for Arizona.

On a third-and-6 at the Arizona 18, Smith scrambled and tried to find Tyler Lockett in the back of the end zone. Instead, he found Arizona cornerback Garrett Williams.

Smith had been under pressure much of the game — sacked five times in the first three quarters — and until then had several times escaped to at least prevent losses.

Arizona moved to the Seattle 4.

But again the Seahawks defense came up with a red-zone stop, forcing a Murray incompletion on third down. The Cardinals cut the lead to 13-6 on a 22-yard field goal by Chad Ryland with 10:08 remaining.

The offense then made its biggest contribution to the game of the day, uncorking a 13-play, 49-yard drive that took up eight minutes and 12 seconds and culminated in a 50-yard field goal by Myers with 1:56 left to put Seattle ahead 16-6 and essentially ended the drama.

Smith rebounded from the interception to twice complete passes to convert third downs on the drive — a 7-yarder to Jaxon Smith-Njigba on third-and-6, and 18 to Metcalf on third-and-8.

Zach Charbonnet picked up another third down with a 6-yard gain on a third-and-4 to get Seattle close enough for Myers’ kick.

The win snapped a four-game home losing streak for the Seahawks and was the six straight against the Cardinals.

The Seahawks led 7-3 at the end of a first half dominated by defense on each side.

Arizona managed just one drive in which it got more than one first down — passes on consecutive plays for gains of 15 and 20 to tight end Trey McBride.

That took Arizona to the 15. But a holding penalty negated an apparent Murray TD pass to Wilson, and on another attempt on third down, rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. couldn’t get both feet in bounds in the front of the end zone.

That forced Arizona to settle for a 35-yard Ryland field goal and a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter.

The Seahawks punted following each of their first four possessions, with the Cardinals’ pressure often getting to Smith, who was sacked four times in the first two quarters.

The Seahawks got the better of Arizona’s pressure for one big gain, correctly sniffing out a Cardinal blitz and countering it with a screen pass to Smith-Njigba. With the middle of the field left wide open, Smith-Njigba raced for 46 yards to the Arizona four.

The Seahawks faced a third-and-goal at the three after two Zach Charbonnet runs netted only one yard.

The Seahawk again dialed up the right play.

Metcalf and Smith-Njigba each split right. Metcalf ran straight ahead to create just enough hesitation from Arizona safety Budda Baker, the former Washington star, to allow Smith-Njigba the step he needed to catch a pass for the TD and a 7-3 Seattle lead with 1:14 left in the first half.

Seattle held Arizona to just 28 yards rushing in the first half on seven carries — 14 coming on a third-and-18 run late in the half.

Arizona was held to just 4.1 yards per play in the first half and just 110 overall.

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