SEATTLE — So much for an undefeated home season.
Instead, the Seahawks got a shot to the heart and a punch to the gut in a stunning 34-31 loss to Arizona Saturday, decided on a 43-yard field goal by Chandler Catanzaro as time ran out.
But the defeat on the field might have been the least of what Seattle lost Saturday.
Seattle also fell out of the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs and also lost receiver Tyler Lockett to a serious leg injury while also playing without running back Thomas Rawls in the second half.
Seattle never led in what was a shocking disappointment of a regular-season home finale in which the Seahawks blew a chance to have just the fourth undefeated home season in 41 years.
But an unfathomable comeback from 31-18 down with 4:15 left appeared to have Seattle in position to win it before a Steven Hauschka missed point after touchdown allowed Arizona some latitude to escape.
Hausckka’s miss came after Russell Wilson’s fourth touchdown pass of the game — all in the second half — appeared to have Seattle in position to take the lead with one minute left.
With the loss, the Seahawks dropped to 9-5-1 on the season and fell behind Atlanta for the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs as the Falcons beat Carolina to improve to 10-5. Seattle could also fall behind Detroit if the Lions beat Dallas on Monday.
Seattle will finish the regular season next Sunday at San Francisco hoping that a win could still mean the No. 2 seed and a bye in the wild-card round.
Seattle twice fell behind by double digits in the fourth quarter only to score quick touchdowns to get back in the game as Wilson threw for 350 yards.
Receiver Doug Baldwin set career highs with 13 receptions for 171 yards as the Seahawks scored 21 points in the fourth quarter.
The Seahawks cut the lead to 31-25 on a 37-yard touchdown from Wilson to Jimmy Graham with 2:48 remaining.
Arizona then used just 22 seconds on its next possession, giving Seattle the ball right back.
A wheel route for 31 yards from Wilson to Baldwin put the ball at the 15 with 1:54 remaining at which point the Seahawks called their final timeout.
A first-down run by Wilson took it to the 8.
Wilson then hit Richardson for a 6-yard gain for a first down to the 5 and a play later hit Richardson for a touchdown to tie it at 31 with a minute left.
Hauschka, who had missed a 28-yard field goal to win the game for the Seahawks at Arizona earlier this year, then sent the point after touchdown wide left, leaving the score tied.
A 29-yard pass from Palmer to Johnson moved it to the Seattle 33-yard line with 35 seconds left and then another pass to Larry Fitzgerald got Arizona close enough to get Catanzaro on the field and make the winning kick as time ran out.
The first half could hardly have gone worse as the Seahawks lost Rawls and Lockett to injuries and also played for a time without defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin and strong safety Kam Chancellor while falling behind 14-3.
Chancellor left late in the first quarter with an ankle injury. After getting the ankle re-taped and appearing to try to test out whether he could return, Chancellor then headed to the locker room for further evaluation but returned for the second half.
Rubin hurt his wrist early but returned.
Lockett was injured on what was a critical sequence of the game, if not the season.
On what was Seattle’s only sustained drive of the first half, the Seahawks had a first down at the Arizona 29 when Lockett blew past Arizona cornerback Brandon Williams down the left sideline.
As he caught the ball near the goal line he was tackled from behind by Williams.
Lockett made the reception for what was initially called a touchdown but as he did his right leg buckled.
Lockett lay face down in the end zone as the TD signal was made, trainers already in mid-dash across the field immediately sensing the seriousness of the injury.
An air cast was quickly placed on Lockett’s leg as teammates converged, the likes of Wilson and Doug Baldwin appearing visibly distraught.
Lockett was then carted off the field as the ruling was changed to Lockett being called down at the half-yard line.
Fans chanted Lockett’s name as he was carted off and he raised his hand in an L sign.
To add insult to the significant injury, Seattle then could not score.
Thomas Rawls failed to get in on first down and Wilson was then stopped on a sneak on second down.
Wilson was then heavily pressured on third down pass that he appeared to be trying to initially throw to Doug Baldwin on third down.
Seattle decided to go for it and it appeared that Wilson was trying to hit Jimmy Graham on a play-action — Graham was breaking into the end zone off the line.
But the play never had a chance as Arizona’s Rodney Gunter broke free up the middle and sacked Wilson at the 9-yard-line.
The Seahawks surprisingly got another chance when David Johnson then fumbled the ball with Seattle’s K.J. Wright recovering at the 9 with 32 seconds left.
But three passes fell incomplete and Seattle had to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Hauschka.
Arizona scored on a 2-yard run by Johnson that came after the Cardinals recovered a Marcel Reece fumble at the 23 and an 80-yard touchdown pass from Palmer to J.J. Nelson.
Reece fumbled as he appeared surprised that he was being handed the ball by Wilson on a third-and-long draw play.
Nelson simply beat Jeremy Lane off the line and then caught the pass over the middle over the field with Steven Terrell — who is playing in place of the injured Earl Thomas for the rest of the season — coming over late.
Wilson was sacked five times in the first half as the Cardinals simply manhandled the Seahawks up front.
Seattle had just 21 yards rushing on 13 attempts in the first half, 15 coming on one zone read run by Wilson.
Rawls had just eight yards on eight attempts with a long of 4.
Rawls appeared to hurt his shoulder midway through the first half but stayed in the game until halftime.
Playoff picture
The Seahawks are in the No. 3 spot in the NFC. Six teams make the playoffs in each conference, with the four division winners seeded by record, followed by two wild-card teams. The top two division winners earn first-round byes:
