SEATTLE — Seven weeks in, and it finally happened.

On the heels of three consecutive losses that surely had some fans longing for his predecessor, Mike Macdonald broke through.

No, this wasn’t the first time the Seahawks coach got a victory in his first year at the helm, but Seattle’s 34-14 vanquishing of the Falcons on Sunday in Atlanta was his first signature win.

Doubtful that means much to Macdonald, whose celebrating likely ended as soon as the team plane touched down — if not sooner. But my guess is it means a lot to the 12s who were wondering if the new guy was up to the task.

Seems so. And just like that, expectations for this season have reset. These Seahawks? They can do something.

Before Sunday’s thrashing, it was hard to pick out a game in which Seattle (4-3) looked particularly impressive. Yes, the Broncos have won four of their past six, but quarterback Bo Nix’s performance in Week 1 vs. the Seahawks was as shaky as NFL debuts come. He averaged just 3.3 yards per attempt and threw two interceptions — yet Seattle still managed just a six-point win.

A missed field-goal attempt by the now 1-6 Patriots allowed the Seahawks to eke out an overtime win in Week 2, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s absence in Week 3 made for an easy victory over Miami seven days later.

A 3-0 record with the top team defense in the league? Quite a start for the Macdonald era. But right when the Seahawks started smiling, the losses started piling. It began with a 42-29 defeat in Detroit. Then the lowly Giants knocked off Seattle, 29-20. Then the 49ers earned their sixth consecutive win over the Seahawks via a 36-24 victory at Lumen Field.

That sterling start truly did seem like a mirage. The defense looked no better than how Pete Carroll left it before his firing in January — particularly when it came to stopping the run.

Then Sunday happened. No eking or squeaking here. Seattle dominated.

Quarterback Geno Smith recovered from his worst performance of the season in that Niners loss 10 days earlier and completed 18-of-28 passes for 207 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions. It was actually the second-lowest passing-yard total of the season for Smith, who leads the NFL in passing yards. But that was a good thing in this case.

All season long, the question has been, “Why aren’t the Seahawks running the ball more?” Coaches didn’t deny or dismiss the pass/run disparity — they emphasized the need for balance. It just didn’t really seem to happen until Sunday, when a flu-ridden Kenneth Walker III looked, as the kids would say, sick.

The running back tallied 69 yards on 14 carries, but his 20-yard touchdown run to put his team up 10-0 and gave Seattle a lead it would never relinquish. He added a 17-yard scoring catch in the third.

Receiver DK Metcalf? Astounding in the first half, racking up 99 yards and a touchdown on four catches. The defense? Perhaps the best it’s looked all season — maybe not in terms of traditional numbers (the Falcons still gained 385 yards) but in forcing two interceptions and a fumble, the latter of which was returned for a touchdown.

Macdonald grumbled after the 49ers game that there wasn’t enough of an emphasis put on turnovers. Takeaways had been an issue for Seattle throughout their losing streak. Not Sunday. A wire-to-wire, 20-point road win over a 4-2 team with a potent quarterback.

It’s just one week in the forever fickle NFL, but it was notable. If the Mike Macdonald era ends up being one of prosperity, Sunday was its true introduction.

There are still major questions surrounding the Seahawks, which didn’t exactly fix all of their problems in Atlanta. Defending the run was their weak point during the losing streak, and the Falcons managed 155 rushing yards on 32 carries. And though the scoreboard does indicate a 20-point win, Atlanta was pressing toward the game’s end.

Still, the Seahawks didn’t just stop the bleeding Sunday, they healed like Wolverine. And now seven games in, they are alone atop the NFC West.

This season can go a lot of different ways. The Bills on Sunday could be their toughest foe yet.

But Seattle is right in the thick of it almost halfway through the season. Sunday’s response is a big part of the reason.

Credit the players, of course. But give props to the coach on this one, too.

____

©2024 The Seattle Times. Visit seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.