Paul Myerberg

USA TODAY Sports

SEATTLE — Deep underneath Husky Stadium, inside a cordoned-off equipment room bordered somberly with black curtains, a frustrated David Shaw spoke of Stanford's two offenses.

One is the offense Stanford wants to be — or, better yet, the offense Stanford has been. This an offense that's physical, Shaw said, that executes, that makes plays, that protects the football.

The other is the offense Stanford is, one that continues to be plagued by enough flaws and missteps to be viewed as the clear and unquestioned weak link on a team with eyes set firmly on a third Pac-12 Conference championship in as many years.

"If we can stop turning the ball over, stop having penalties that take points off the board and stop missing field goals, we have a chance to be really good," Shaw said, sarcastically. "It's got to stop for us to be the type of team that we can be. Because right now the team that we are is not good enough offensively.

"You look at us right now, we are a semi-efficient, sloppy offense. That's not one thing we've ever been known for, and that's one thing we better not be known for."

All three issues — turnovers, penalties, points left on the field — were seen in bright color against Washington, a 20-13 victory that stands as a microcosm of the Cardinal's opening month: No. 14 Stanford's imbalance of an ineffective offense and a championship-caliber defense paints it as a team in need of an overhaul before being viewed among the elite in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The Cardinal turned the ball over three times in the win, once when inside the Huskies' red zone. This continues another theme: As seen in this month's loss to USC, the Cardinal lack a go-to identity — if not a killer instinct — when deep inside opposing territory.

Stanford committed eight penalties, the program's second-most in a single game since the start of last season. The 85 penalty yards were a program high since a 21-3 win against California on Oct. 20, 2012. Kicker Jordan Williamson missed a 46-yard field goal in the third quarter, his fourth missed try of the opening month.

"It's frustrating because that's not what we want to be about," quarterback Kevin Hogan said. "We want to strive for perfection. We shouldn't line up wrong. We shouldn't have these penalties. We want to be able to control what we can control."

Until Stanford addresses its weak-link flaws, perfection simply isn't attainable — on offense, at least. On the other side of the ball, however, Stanford houses a defense that can best be described in a single word: vintage.

Through four games, Stanford's defense has been on the field for 237 plays and allowed 792 yards; that's a tidy average of 3.34 yards per play. If all went according to plan, mathematically speaking, an opposing offense could earn exactly 10 yards every three plays and slowly — very, very slowly — move the ball downfield.

Yet things so rarely go according to plan. Three of Stanford's first four opponents have failed to pass for 100 yards. Washington's Cyler Miles threw for just 98 yards while amassing 40 yards in sack-caused lost yardage. The Huskies gained 81 yards on 38 carries, more than 150 yards off the team's per-game total entering Saturday.

"From the line to the linebackers to the (defensive backs), it's a solid group," Stanford defensive coordinator Lance Anderson said. "It's a strong group. That's the way we want to be. We want to be strong in all areas. I think we've got a good group."

This is a defense that shares the wealth: Stanford rotates from front to back, shuffling in linemen, linebackers and defensive backs to match spread-based formations and personnel. Against Washington, seven defenders made at least four tackles, three shared four sacks and five contributed tackles for loss.

"When someone goes in the game there's no drop off," Anderson said. "They just go in and perform at a high level. That's what our expectations are. It's just a lot of guys making plays. Just do your job and the 10 guys around do theirs, and we'll have the chance to be a very good defense if they do that."

Therein lies Shaw's inherent frustration: This defense is up for anything — the option, pro-style and spread-based attacks through one month — yet the offense remains far enough behind the curve to raise doubts about Stanford's long-term viability in the chase for the College Football Playoff.

Undefeated Notre Dame looms next weekend. Arizona State, perhaps with injured quarterback Taylor Kelly back under center, plays host on Oct. 18. The regular season ends at UCLA. In between, Stanford will meet Oregon on Nov. 1 to decide the North Division.

Stanford's unbalanced production — ferocious on defense, unsteady on offense — might be enough to move the Cardinal past Washington; as of now, a similar approach might not be enough to unseat the Fighting Irish, let alone the Ducks.

"I think we are so much better than we're playing," he said. "And the point I got across to the team is that it doesn't matter how good we are. It only matters how well we play."