SEATTLE — The Geno Smith touchdown run may go down as the Seahawks’ season signature moment if the team goes on to make the playoffs. And the 110 receiving yards from Jaxon Smith-Njigba bolster the case that he was one of the better picks from last year’s NFL draft.

Throw in an interception by defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins — which was assisted by cornerback Devon Witherspoon — along with sacks by Derick Hall and Dre’Mont Jones, and you have a host of individuals worthy of recognition.

But perhaps the man who deserves the most praise after Seattle’s 20-17 win over San Francisco is the team’s coach. Sunday’s game showed why Mike Macdonald may have been the right man for this job after all.

Entering Sunday’s game, the Seahawks (5-5) were on the cusp of a true unraveling. They had lost five of their past six — four by two scores or more — and were getting abused on the defensive side of the ball.

That side was supposed to be Macdonald’s forte, as he oversaw a Ravens defense that led the league in points allowed last season. The Seahawks, however, had given up 412 yards per game in their previous six contests before Sunday.

Moreover, they were leading the league in accepted penalties, accumulating more than eight flags per game. Maybe it’s unfair to put those setbacks on the coach, but he’s the one tasked with keeping the team disciplined.

In other words, if the Seahawks put together another shoddy defensive performance replete with penalty flags Sunday, Macdonald’s seat might have started to feel a bit toasty. Instead, the Seahawks had their most impressive defensive effort of the year and committed just four penalties.

“Man, obviously it was a great football game. It’s a big-time win for us as a team. We all knew that was a big game for obvious reasons. I’m just really proud of the guys sticking in there,” Macdonald said. “I thought all the points of emphasis we made throughout the last couple of weeks trying to take the next step as a football team really showed up.”

One of those points of emphasis has been taking care of the ball. This was perhaps the chief tenet of previous coach Pete Carroll’s football philosophy, but one that repeatedly has proved costly for the Seahawks this season.

The phrase “we gotta stop shooting ourselves in the foot,” has played on a loop in team news conferences, but the giveaways were kept to a minimum Sunday. Yes, there was a Smith interception in the third quarter that was the result of a poor decision. And there was a wayward snap in the first half that turned a second-and-five into a third-and-22. But overall, the mistakes were sparse. It’s unlikely Seattle pulls off what felt like a season-saving win otherwise.

What stood out most, however, was the Seahawks defense. It was facing a 49ers team that had blown it out in their previous six meetings. Tight end George Kittle was out because of an injury, but the 49ers had running back Christian McCaffrey back in the lineup.

It didn’t matter much, though. The Seahawks run defense that entered the game 27th in the NFL? It kept McCaffrey to a modest 79 yards on 19 carries. More impressive, the “D” held quarterback Brock Purdy to 159 yards on 28 passes and essentially took receiver Deebo Samuel out of the game.

Witherspoon deflecting a pass into Hankins’ hands in the second quarter set up a field goal that would prove to be decisive by game’s end. And Jones’ eight-yard sack in the first half led to a San Francisco punt.

It’s true that this hasn’t been the best season for San Francisco (5-5), but it’s not because of offensive impotence. The Niners are second in the NFL in yards per game at 398.9. They had 277 vs. the Seahawks. The Niners are also second in the NFL in yards per play at 6.4. They averaged 4.9 vs. the Seahawks.

In short: That was a masterful defensive performance.

Coaches, like quarterbacks, tend to get too much credit for wins and too much blame for losses. Sunday wasn’t all schemes, game-planning and play-calling — it was an assortment of players stepping up for Seattle, too. And let’s not forget that the bulk of the Seahawks’ scoring came when 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa was on the sideline due to injury.

Still, you look at a win like that and you have to think “that’s what Macdonald was hired for.” Temporary vindication for him, legitimate inspiration for his team.

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