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The Seattle Seahawks overcame a rough start to the 2015-16 season to make the playoffs for the fifth time in Earl Thomas III’s career. Along the way, No. 29 matched career-highs in interceptions and passes defended, as the team provided some spectacular moments on the road and at home in front of the 12s.

As ET III and Co. begin the road back to the Super Bowl, we’re counting down the best five games had by the All-Pro free safety during his sixth season in the NFL.

NO. 5—HAWKS BLANK BEARS, 26-0

After starting out 0-2, Earl Thomas III and the Seattle Seahawks knew they had to bring their A-game against the Chicago Bears in Week 3 in order to get their season back on track.

ET III and the Hawks did just that and they snatched their first win of the season in dominating fashion. With strong safety Kam Chancellor back from his contract holdout, the Legion of Boom was back in tact, and they suffocated the Chicago Bears offense all afternoon in a 26-0 shutout romp.

“Last year we started 3-3, this year we got off to a slow start. But as you keep playing and keep game planning, and the coaches keep showing you different indicators that you didn’t understand the year prior, you start to really get back into the flow of things, and that’s going to happen,” Earl said. “I feel like things are turning for us now.”

The collective effort by the defense was so smothering, Thomas didn’t have to make a tackle all game and the Bears were forced to punt on all 10 of their possessions. The closest Chicago came to the red zone all contest was to Seattle’s 45-yard line.

Seattle’s second-half effort was one of the best and most efficient ever by the LOB, as they only allowed one first down after halftime and closed out the game with four consecutive three-and-outs. Simply put, the dinged-up Bears were no match for Earl and defense.

“You want to suffocate a team, and I think it’s big for our defensive staff, for the players, for everybody,” Chancellor said after the game. “It sends a statement.”

Without their best wide out Alshon Jeffery on the field, the Bears passing offense didn’t stand much of a chance against ET III and the LOB. The only receiver to catch a pass in the game for Chicago was Eddie Royal, who finished with three catches for a mere 17 yards. The rushing-attack was held in check too by Thomas and Co., as the always dangerous Matt Forte mustered only 74 yards on 20 carries.

After the game, Royal emphasized the difficulty of going up against the Seahawks defense, especially when Earl and his squad are as locked in as they were in the blowout win.

“We had situations that we wanted to be in and we just didn’t make the plays. It happens like that,” Royal said. “You got to give them a lot of credit. That is great defense that we played against.”

Chicago was without its starting quarterback Jay Cutler, so Jimmy Clausen was tasked with going up against a complete Legion of Boom. In a game they had to step up, the Hawks D did just that and held Clausen to only 63 yards passing on 9-of-17 attempts. Although Earl’s effort didn’t show up on the stat sheet, the Bears’ backup didn’t dare target ET for the duration of the bout.

The defense did its part, but the Hawks offense struggled a bit to find momentum out the gates. Besides the impressive showing by Thomas and the defense, the first half was highlighted by a trick play from Sherman who chipped in with a 64-yard punt return in the first quarter that set up a field goal.

In the second half, special teams jolted the offense again, when rookie Tyler Lockett ignited his squad with a 105-yard kickoff return to start the second half. The highlight-reel return was a thing of perfection, as Lockett went virtually untouched into the end zone on the perfectly executed play.

The energizing score by Lockett led to a dominating second half, wherein the Seahawks gained 246 of their 371 yards, and 121 of their season-high 159 on the ground. After the Hawks forced back-to-back punts to open the second half, Russell Wilson found Jimmy Graham for the 30-yard score to put Seattle up 20-0 after Steven Hauschka’s successful extra point.

In the fourth quarter, the defense couldn’t be cracked. While the three-and-outs started to pile up for Thomas and the LOB, Hauschka added a couple field goals to close out the team’s first shutout victory since Dec. 15, 2013 against the New York Giants.

 “It was a boring game, but it’s one of the best games I’ve played in my career,” ET III said. “That’s the moral of the story. Vision is very, very powerful. When you go into a game with a set plan and you see it come to life, it motivates you for the next week.”