CHICAGO — His team desperate for a road victory, Russell Wilson had one simple message before overtime.
This is it, this is the season.
If the Seattle Seahawks didn’t save it, they sure gave their playoff hopes a boost.
Wilson threw two late touchdowns, connecting with Sidney Rice for a 13-yard score with 7:33 left in overtime to lift the Seahawks to a wild 23-17 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
“He’s just so beautifully poised and so confident that it gives himself a chance to play at this level,” Coach Pete Carroll said of Wilson, in his first season as Seattle’s starting quarterback.
Unbeaten in five home games, the Seahawks finally figured a way to win on the road after dropping five of their first six, and knocked off the NFC North leaders in the process.
“I just told the guys, ‘This is what the season comes down to, right here and right now,”’ Wilson said.
A 97-yard touchdown drive late in regulation gave the Seahawks a lead that didn’t last, and they finally won it on Rice’s catch after Chicago’s Robbie Gould sent it into overtime with a field goal.
Seattle (7-5) has won three in a row in the regular season at Soldier Field.
Seattle took a short-lived lead late in regulation on Wilson’s 14-yard pass to Golden Tate, only to watch Gould make a 46-yard field goal as time expired to send it into overtime.
The Seahawks won the coin toss and started with the ball on their 20. They ended this one with one final flourish.
Rice hauled in a pass from Wilson and took a shoulder to-helmet hit from Major Wright that jarred the ball loose and appeared to knock the receiver unconscious as he lunged into the end zone. Rice stayed down for several minutes but eventually walked off the field, and he insisted afterward he was alert the whole time.
The touchdown, meanwhile, was upheld after a review, and that gave the Seahawks their only road victory other than a victory at Carolina.
The Seahawks pulled it out even though Marshawn Lynch was held in check with 87 yards rushing. He had a touchdown run in the second quarter, but also fumbled on the game’s opening possession, leading to a score for Chicago.
Wilson threw for 293 yards and rushed for 71, sending Chicago (8-4) to its third loss in four games. That knocked them into a tie with Green Bay for the division lead with the Packers beating Minnesota.
BRONCOS 31, BUCCANEERS 23
Peyton Manning threw three touchdowns, including one to defensive tackle Mitch Unrein, to help Denver wrap up the AFC West. The Broncos (9-3) won their seventh consecutive and the Tampa Bay (6-6) loss clinched the NFC South for Atlanta, which won on Thursday. Manning threw for 242 yards. He now has 29 touchdown passes this season, moving past Jake Plummer and John Elway for the most by a Denver quarterback in a single year. Manning threw two of his touchdown passes to Demaryius Thomas, who finished with eight catches for 99 yards.
PATRIOTS 23, DOLPHINS 16
Tom Brady had his least efficient game of the year and threw an interception, but New England took advantage of Miami’s mistakes and clinched their fourth consecutive AFC East title. A botched punt, roughing-the-punter penalty and fumble by Miami led to 17 New England points, and another penalty negated a Dolphins touchdown. Brady finished 24 for 40 passing for 238 yards and was sacked 4 times.
TEXANS 24, TITANS 10
The Houston Texans clinched their second consecutive playoff berth and set a franchise record for victories in a season. Rookie linebacker Whitney Mercilus recovered a fumble and had two sacks, and the Texans (11-1) remain tied with Atlanta for the best record in the NFL with their sixth consecutive victory.
COLTS 35, LIONS 33
Andrew Luck threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Donnie Avery with no time remaining to lift Indianapolis. With the final seconds ticking away, the rookie quarterback moved up in the pocket, flipped a short pass to Avery, and the receiver ran untouched into the end zone to complete a rally that started with Lions up 12 points midway through the fourth quarter.
PACKERS 23, VIKINGS 14
James Starks had Green Bay’s first rushing touchdown in almost two months, Morgan Burnett picked off Christian Ponder twice and the Packers overcame Adrian Peterson’s 210 rushing yards. The Vikings (6-6) were without Percy Harvin, who missed his third consecutive game with a sprained ankle. Ponder didn’t help matters with his interceptions, one in the end zone and the other around the Green Bay 10.
STEELERS 23, RAVENS 20
Shaun Suisham kicked a 42-yard field goal as time expired. Playing without injured quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for a third consecutive week, the Steelers turned to the 37-year-old Batch for the second game in a row. He completed 25 of 36 passes for 276 yards, threw a touchdown and moved the Steelers 61 yards before Suisham’s game-winning kick. Instead, Baltimore had its 15-game home winning streak snapped and also lost for the first time in 13 games against division foes.
BENGALS 20, CHARGERS 13
Andy Dalton scrambled up the middle for a 6-yard touchdown with 4:11 left for the go-ahead score and Cincinnati won its fourth consecutive game. The Bengals (7-5) remained tied with Pittsburgh in the race for the AFC’s second wild-card berth.
BROWNS 20, RAIDERS 17
Brandon Weeden threw for a career-high 364 yards and a touchdown as Cleveland snapped a 12-game road losing streak. It was the first road victory for the Browns since they beat Indianapolis 27-19 on Sept. 18, 2011.
JETS 7, CARDINALS 6
Third stringer Greg McElroy stepped in for a struggling Mark Sanchez and led New York to its only score. With Tim Tebow inactive as he heals from two broken ribs, Coach Rex Ryan pulled Sanchez for McElroy late in the third quarter. Arizona lost its eighth consecutive game after a 4-0 start.
BILLS 34, JAGUARS 18
Ryan Fitzpatrick directed five consecutive scoring drives in helping Buffalo keep alive its slim playoff hopes.
THURSDAY’S GAME
Atlanta 23, New Orleans 13
SUNDAY’S GAMES
Seattle 23, Chicago 17, OT Green Bay 23, Minnesota 14 St. Louis 16, San Francisco 13, OT Kansas City 27, Carolina 21 Houston 24, Tennessee 10 NY Jets 7, Arizona 6 Indianapolis 35, Detroit 33 Buffalo 34, Jacksonville 18 New England 23, Miami 16 Denver 31, Tampa Bay 23 Cleveland 20, Oakland 17 Cincinnati 20, San Diego 13 Pittsburgh 23, Baltimore 20 Dallas 38, Philadelphia 33
TODAY’S GAME All times Central
NY Giants at Washington, 7:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, DEC. 6
Denver at Oakland, 7:20 p.m.
SUNDAY, DEC. 9
Chicago at Minnesota, noon Baltimore at Washington, noon Kansas City at Cleveland, noon San Diego at Pittsburgh, noon Tennessee at Indianapolis, noon NY Jets at Jacksonville, noon Atlanta at Carolina, noon Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, noon St. Louis at Buffalo, noon Dallas at Cincinnati, noon Miami at San Francisco, 3:05 p.m.
Arizona at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.
New Orleans at NY Giants, 3:25 p.m. Detroit at Green Bay, 7:20 p.m.
MONDAY, DEC. 10
Houston at New England, 7:30 p.m.
Sports, Pages 17 on 12/03/2012