Flubs in the fourth

SEATTLE – Thrust into the role of spoilers for as far back as anyone in these parts can remember, the Seattle Seahawks haven’t even been able to get that right this season.

The Seahawks’ bid to ruin the New England Patriots’ season ended in familiar fashion on Sunday afternoon when Seattle gave up a late touchdown and followed that with another rally-killing turnover. The 24-21 defeat marked the Seahawks’ sixth loss in a row and their fifth straight loss at home.

“We have lost so many games this year the way we lost today,” said wide receiver Deion Branch, who had four receptions for 88 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Seahawks to an eight-point lead heading into the final quarter. “We just can’t finish a game, for some reason. I don’t know what it is.”

The Seahawks (2-11) were playing without their two best offensive players – quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones – and yet didn’t seem to miss them at the start of the game. Backup quarterback Seneca Wallace and a makeshift line marched down the field for touchdowns on the first two drives of the game to give Seattle a 14-3 lead.

Wallace played well throughout, while Branch made several big plays against his former team to lead the Seahawks’ offense to one of its most productive days of the season. After Wallace and Branch hooked up for their second touchdown of the day in the final minute of the third quarter, Seattle had a 21-13 lead and was in control of the game.

But New England responded with two long scoring drives in the fourth quarter, averaging 12.9 yards per third-down play while converting 5 of 7 chances. One drive ended in a Stephen Gostkowski field goal to put New England within 21-16 with 12:19 remaining. Then running back Sammy Morris dove into the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 1 for the go-ahead score with 2:44 left. Wes Welker’s 2-point conversion reception gave New England a 24-21 lead, but the Seahawks had one final chance to snap their losing streak.

Much like back-to-back home losses to Arizona and Washington, the Seahawks saw their final possession end on a turnover.

After making a nifty run for a 23-yard gain on a first-down scramble, Wallace coughed up the ball when he was drilled by Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather on a blitz. Patriots lineman Richard Seymour recovered the ball with 1:54 remaining, and all New England had to do was run out the clock after that.

The Patriots (8-5) were blitzing most of the afternoon, yet the young offensive line and Wallace’s shifty footwork were able to avoid a sack for 58 minutes.

After another not-so-fantastic finish, the Seahawks were in a familiar state of disappointment. At one point in his post-game news conference, coach Mike Holmgren appeared to choke up when talking about how hard his team is fighting to get a win.

“Those of you who have been around awhile know that this is a very, very difficult year,” he said a couple minutes later, answering a follow-up question to his opening statement. “I think the deeper you get into a season like this, it becomes more difficult for the coaches and players.”