SEATTLE — On June 2, during an offseason of uncertainty for the Seattle Seahawks, veteran nose tackle Jarran Reed was asked what he liked most about his team.

“Everybody on my side of the ball wants the defense to be the reason why,” said Reed, after the Seahawks dealt quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver DK Metcalf but brought back much of their defense. “Defense wins championships. Offense wins games. That just is what it is. We want to put the team on our back. We want to be the reason why we win games.”

In a 21-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Seattle’s defense put the team on its back — despite injuries to Reed and starting safety Julian Love, both of whom remain on injured reserve. Despite a slow start that saw the Rams rack up 14 points and 134 total yards, including runs of 30 and 34 yards, in the first quarter. Despite, most disastrously, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold’s four interceptions.

The Seahawks did not win, with Darnold’s belly flop being the biggest reason. The 28-year-old’s 60-minute nightmare does nothing to dispel the questions that dogged Darnold in Minnesota. Can he excel against superior defenses? Does he regress to the mean when it matters most? Arm talent aside, is Darnold the kind of quarterback that can win a Super Bowl?

Those questions, exacerbated by an increasingly injured offensive line, will continue to linger.

But the Seahawks defense did its part, and that’s the silver lining. That’s the biggest reason to believe in what this team can be.

Don’t downplay the juggernaut Seattle’s defense sought to slow Sunday. In their previous three wins, Los Angeles averaged 399 total yards and 37 points. The Rams are led by an accomplished play-caller in coach Sean McVay and the MVP favorite in 37-year-old quarterback Matthew Stafford, who had thrown 20 touchdown passes without an interception in his previous six games.

And yet … the Rams mustered 115 yards, 3.9 yards per play and seven points in the final three quarters. Two of their three touchdowns were the direct result of short fields and Darnold interceptions. They ultimately were outgained 414 to 249 in yardage, went 2 for 11 on third down and produced six punts, a fumble and a touchdown in their final eight possessions. The previously unstoppable Stafford completed just 15 of 28 passes (53.6%) and threw for 130 yards, both season lows.

“Look, Stafford is a premier quarterback in our league,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “He’s probably going to the Hall of Fame. The guy’s a great player. He’s a hard guy to attack. He’s really, really hard, and they’ve got a great scheme, and they’re really well-coached.

“But you can’t let him be in first-and-10 the whole time. Otherwise they can call every play in the book. So you have to get them into passing situations and then you have to play rush and coverage, just like we’ve tried to do all year. Our guys did a great job of that.”

The Seahawks surrendered four interceptions, on the road, against the team with the top record in the NFC, and still nearly secured a walkoff win.

In the NFL, nearly is not enough. As linebacker (and former Ram) Ernest Jones IV said Sunday when asked to assess the Seahawks defense: “Not good enough. Didn’t get us a win. Not good enough.”

Certainly. But that loss was littered with silver linings. Score aside, who’s the better team here?

That question will be answered in the rematch at Lumen Field on Dec. 18, and then perhaps again in the playoffs. The Seahawks have to take care of business first, with winnable games against the Titans (1-9), Vikings (4-6) and Falcons (3-7) next on their schedule.

Suddenly, the Seahawks have equally pressing questions at quarterback and on the offensive line.

But this defense is capable of carrying the team on its back. It’s just that they hadn't had to before Sunday.

Through 10 games and 11 weeks, Seattle sits tied for third in opponent yards per play (4.7), tied for fourth in sacks (32) and opponent yards per carry (3.9), sixth in scoring defense (19.3 points allowed per game), seventh in third-down defense (35.5% conversions) and ninth in total defense (301.5 yards allowed per game). That’s despite a slew of injuries to key Seahawks, with Reed and Love lingering on that list. As contributors return, a good defense should get even better.

In the aftermath of Sunday’s letdown, the doubt surrounding Darnold will steal the spotlight. It’s fair to wonder if Seattle’s high-risk, high-reward quarterback can overcome the questions bolted to his back.

The good news? Seattle needs Darnold to be a serviceable starter, not a superstar.

Because the Seahawks defense can be the reason why they win.

“We turned the ball over four times, and we lost by two points,” Jones said, summarizing the situation. “We had a touchdown taken back [when a 39-yard strike to Cooper Kupp was ruled an incompletion], and [Rashid] Shaheed is a hand away from scoring another touchdown. So we’re a good team.

“We just didn’t execute, capitalize on mistakes. They did it. They played a clean game, and they got the win. But as a team, we’re in good shape. We’re still in a good spot, I believe. One loss doesn’t define us. We’ve got a lot of football left.”

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