RENTON, Wash. — Winning at home against an Arizona team with a backup quarterback and no Larry Fitzgerald was one thing.

Going on the road four days later and winning at San Francisco was another.

And the two wins — each by identical 19-3 scores and with dominating defensive performances — made it clear that the Seattle Seahawks are again capable of just about anything.

“Of course it is,” said Seattle safety Earl Thomas when asked if the wins were a big accomplishment. “I think you said it just right. They are big wins.”

Wins that got Seattle right back in good playoff position (technically the No. 5 seed after Thursday’s games) and in striking distance of the NFC West race, standing at 8-4 behind Arizona’s 9-2.

“If we can keep going, we have a chance to have a good finish,” said Seattle coach Pete Carroll. “It’s exciting. The finish is always the most important step and this is finish time.”

Seattle looked more like simply finished when it fell to 6-4 following a loss at Kansas City on Nov. 16 and then entering the meat of a tough second-half schedule.

But players say a few meetings held with each other and Carroll in the week leading up to the Arizona game helped lead to a heightened focus and commitment that has paid off on the field.

“These guys have really joined together and recaptured really what it was that we played with last year,” Carroll said. “It took us some time to figure it out, but we have.”

That’s especially true on the defensive side of the ball, which has shown the most improvement of late.

After allowing 300 or more yards in four of the first five games of the season, Seattle has allowed more than 300 just once since then.

That has seen Seattle again become the No. 1 defense in the NFL, allowing just 285 yards per game following the win over the 49ers in which it gave up just 164, a season-low.

While players have made much of talking about the team meetings of last week, it’s also hard to ignore that the Seahawks have simply gotten healthy over the last month. Middle linebacker Bobby Wagner played his second game against the 49ers after having missed five games with a toe injury — Seattle is 5-2 in the games he has played this season. Also now healthy is safety Kam Chancellor, who missed two games earlier this month with a groin injury and also has battled ankle and hip issues.

With those two back in the fold, Seattle now has 10 of its projected season-opening starters back on defense (all but nose tackle Brandon Mebane who is being ably replaced by veteran Kevin Williams, a free-agent signee in the offseason).

Seattle has not allowed a passing touchdown in its last 15 quarters, and also is beginning to again get some consistent turnovers, including getting two interceptions from cornerback Richard Sherman on Thursday off 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who remains befuddled by the Seahawks (he has thrown seven of his 19 career regular-season picks against Seattle).

Seattle has allowed no touchdowns of any kind in the last eight quarters, beginning in many ways to resemble the defense that led the team to the Super Bowl title last season.

“Everything is better,” Carroll said, when asked what has changed over the last month. “We’ve just taken a step into what it’s like to play real defense. We were in and out and now we’re very consistent.”

Seattle will hope to keep on that path when it plays at Philadelphia on Dec. 7.

REPORT CARD VS. 49ERS

PASSING OFFENSE: B — The numbers, once again, weren’t overwhelming — 236 yards passing for Russell Wilson and 222 net. But Wilson’s yards were the most he’d had in six games and he was efficient, hitting on 15-of-22 and not throwing an interception for a rating of 118.8. Once again, Wilson did most of his damage throwing to running backs and tight ends. Tight ends Tony Moeaki and Luke Willson combined for five catches for 112 yards while running back Robert Turbin caught Wilson’s only touchdown on a 13-yard grab in the first quarter. Wilson had better time to throw than the week before, when he was sacked seven times by Arizona. And Wilson has gone three games without an interception, always a key in a Pete Carroll offense.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B-plus — It took a little while — Seattle had just 39 yards rushing on 13 carries in the first half. But when it ended it was a typical Seattle rushing effort as the Seahawks had 157 yards on 34 carries. This time, though, they did it without a ton of yards from Russell Wilson, who had 356 yards on seven pretty careful attempts. Marshawn Lynch got the bulk of the work with 20 carries for 104 yards, answering well the question of how he would be able to bounce back from a punishing game against the Cardinals four days earlier. Seattle’s offensive line changes, with Lemuel Jeanpierre at center and James Carpenter at left guard, seemed to help get some push.

PASS DEFENSE: A — Or should that be A-plus-plus, to use the words of San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh. Seattle could hardly have been more suffocating in its play in the back seven as the 49ers didn’t have a single completion on a pass that traveled more than 10 yards in the air. The 49ers’ longest completion came on a 16-yard dumpoff to a running back. Richard Sherman had two interceptions and Byron Maxwell, and safeties Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas covered everything. Seattle also got four sacks of Colin Kaepernick.

RUSH DEFENSE: A — When the 49ers have beaten Seattle in recent years it has come via the run. But Seattle kept the 49ers in check from the start as they didn’t have a gain longer than 12. The 49ers managed just 64 yards on 18 carries, and only 23 on 10 in the first half as Seattle took control. The return of middle linebacker Bobby Wagner last week has made a huge difference as his lateral speed makes it hard for opponents to get outside. Wagner’s return also has moved K.J. Wright back to his more comfortable weak-side spot. Ends Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett also continue to play well, and strong-side linebacker Bruce Irvin also has shown continued improvement setting the edge. That’s not to mention safeties Thomas and Chancellor, who after some rough patches earlier this season are hitting their stride and playing to their reputation.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A-minus — Seattle’s coverage units have gotten better in recent weeks as the team has gotten healthy and the Seahawks don’t have to rely on as many untested players in key special teams roles. That was evident against the 49ers as San Francisco got nothing significant in the return games. Kicker Steven Hauschka hit all four field-goal attempts and is 27-for-30 on the year, continuing to rank as among the most dependable in the NFL. Punter Jon Ryan didn’t have his best day, including dropping a snap, though he got the kick off.

COACHING: A — After all the talk about where this season was headed a few weeks ago, Carroll has gotten the team right back on track. With the team healthy on defense, Seattle has gone back to basics, going largely with its tried-and-true formations and relying on the strength of its personnel. The basic approach worked wonders against the Cardinals and 49ers as Seattle took away the run against each and forced the quarterbacks to make plays against the secondary, which they couldn’t ultimately do. And credit Carroll and staff anew for their ability to get the team ready to play on a short week after an emotional win against Arizona last Sunday.