Unbelievable

SEATTLE – The West was won at 4 p.m. Pacific time Sunday.

Josh Brown had just kicked a field goal to give the Seattle Seahawks a comfortable 27-10 lead with 8 minutes and 42 seconds remaining in the game, and although the St. Louis Rams had briefly looked as if they were going to make things interesting, the West was definitely won.

After all, the Seahawks had the fans behind them in a stadium where they hadn’t lost in nearly two years.

They were controlling St. Louis on both sides of the ball, and the NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense was showing no signs of letting up.

Fans throughout Qwest Field were beginning to wonder how the unbeaten Seahawks would fare against the unbeaten New England Patriots the following Sunday.

The West was, most certainly, won.

So how come within a half hour Rams receiver Isaac Bruce was dancing around his helmet while a few fans hurled plastic bottles in his direction? How come Mike Holmgren had to take a deep breath before muttering a single word at his post-game press conference? How come the Seahawks (3-1) went to sleep last night with a precariously delicate edge atop the division?

Because the NFC West was not won Sunday afternoon, when the Seahawks let the Rams back into the division race with a meltdown that looked eerily familiar.

In a post-game locker room that was supposed to include Seattle players talking about the upcoming game with the Patriots, the game on everyone’s minds was one they had tried so hard to forget.

Nov. 23, 2003, at Baltimore. In that game, the Seahawks gave up a 17-point lead over the final 6:41 of regulation and eventually lost in overtime.

On Sunday, when Seattle could have put a 21/2-game lead between themselves and the Rams in the NFC West standings, another big fourth quarter lead went the way of the dodo bird. St. Louis scored 17 points in the final 5:34 of regulation, then added a long touchdown on the first possession of overtime to hand the Seahawks a stunning 33-27 loss at Qwest Field.

“We knew we had this game won,” said Seahawks cornerback Ken Lucas, who had two first-half interceptions. “We were dominating this game. It was like a tale of two games. It hurt real bad.”

After Seattle had built up a convincing 24-7 halftime lead, and then added a fourth-quarter field goal to stay ahead 27-10, the Rams (3-2) came storming back and handed the Seahawks their first loss of the season. It also marked Seattle’s first home loss in 11 games.

The Rams piled up 209 yards of total offense over the 8-minute, 36-second span that encompassed their final four drives, scoring 23 points while needing only 14 plays to do it.

In less time than it takes to say Brandon Manumaleuna, St. Louis had turned a 27-10 deficit into a 33-27 overtime win.

“You’ve got to understand that the game is never over until it’s over,” said Rams tight end Cameron Cleeland, a University of Washington product. “That’s the worst clich of all time, but it was evident today. They’ve got their attitudes, and they were feeling confident, but karma comes around and you can’t give up.”

While the Rams were basking in the improbable comeback win, the Seahawks felt a familiar sense of shock. They lost three down-to-the-wire games on the road in 2003, including two that saw them give up fourth-quarter leads.

“It was real similar to certain games that happened last year,” receiver Koren Robinson said. “We’ve got to finish. The Rams are a good team, and their offense can put up points just like that. So we’ve got to finish.”

Manumaleuna, the Rams’ tight end, got things started with an impressive, leaping touchdown reception between three Seattle defenders to put St. Louis within 27-17 with 5:34 remaining in the game. That eight-play, 66-yard scoring drive gave the Rams some momentum, but the deficit still seemed too steep to overcome.

Then Seattle was forced to punt after just three offensive plays, and St. Louis got a long punt return to take over at the Seahawks’ 41-yard line with 3:37 to go. It took just one play, a 41-yard touchdown pass from Marc Bulger to Kevin Curtis, to cut Seattle’s lead to 27-24.

The Seahawks got the ball back again with 3:24 remaining and the Rams out of timeouts. After a 10-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck to Robinson gave Seattle another first down, the Seahawks opted to throw again and stopped the clock on an incomplete pass. A short run by Shaun Alexander ran the clock down to the two-minute warning but left the Seahawks with a third-and-5 at their own 41.

Disaster nearly struck when Hasselbeck was sacked and fumbled on the following play, but center Robbie Tobeck momentarily saved the day by falling on the football. The Seahawks punted, leaving St. Louis needing to drive at least 40 yards in 1:14 just to tie the score.

The Rams did just that, going 46 yards in only five plays before Jeff Wilkins kicked a 36-yard field goal with eight seconds left in regulation.

St. Louis won the overtime coin toss, then scored on the sixth play of the extra session. Shaun McDonald beat safety Terreal Bierria to catch a 52-yard touchdown pass and complete the unbelievable comeback.

“I still feel like we’re a better team, and we showed that we’re a better team,” Seattle’s Robinson said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt in anybody’s mind that we’re a better team.

“Being 3-0 with so much hype and talk about the Super Bowl, yeah, it hurts. It’s a division game, and this is a team we have to go through, so it hurts. Everybody’s shocked right now. But we have to let it go. We have to go to New England and stop their (19-game winning) streak.”