Fourth-quarter recap: Seahawks 24, Patriots 23

The fourth quarter is done. Here are a few quick points from the final frame of action:

•New England had the ball and a 13-point lead midway through the fourth, but again, the Patriots could not close. As was the case three times in the last four games — with the Buffalo game being the lone exception — the Patriots struggled to finish off an opponent. In the end, it cost them. The Seahawks had a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, with the first coming on a Russell Wilson-to-Braylon Edwards play midway through the fourth. That was followed by a Wilson to Sidney Rice scoring connection with 1:18 left in regulation to give Seattle a lead it would not relinquish.

•Part of the reason the Seahawks were able to come back was the fact that Brady was a little sloppy. He tossed his second pick of the afternoon on New England’s first drive of the fourth quarter, with those one coming when defensive back Earl Thomas picked off a pass in the end zone intended for Wes Welker and brought it all the way back to the 20-yard line. Brady struggled with accuracy at times throughout the afternoon — it could be in large part because of the slippery conditions. (Erik Scalavino of Patriots Football Weekly had him with six underthrown balls through the first three-plus quarters.)

•On the following drive, Seattle wide receiver Sidney Rice tossed a pass to Golden Tate, but Pat Chung crashed into Tate, drawing a costly 40-yard pass interference flag and giving the Seahawks some life. However, the defense was able to bail out the team once again — linebacker Jerod Mayo forced a fumble with a hit on tight end Zack Miller and collected the ball on the turnover. (It’s the 10th fumble recovery for the Patriots in the last three games.)

•After the turnover, the Patriots cashed it in with a 35-yard field goal from Stephen Gostkowski, putting the capper on an eight-play, 53-yard drive and making it 23-10 with 9:25 left in regulation. On the series, there was a 22-yard pass play to Woodhead where the wee running back picked up several yards after the catch. In addition, there was a nifty 23-yard along the New England sideline to Brandon Lloyd.

•The Seahawks answered with a gutty series of their own, maneuvering into the New England red zone and going for it on 4th and three from the New England 10-yard line. Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson lofted one for the end zone. Veteran wide receiver Braylon Edward was able to haul in the pass, despite a defensive pass interference call on cornerback Alfonzo Dennard. That cut New England’s lead to 23-17, and set the stage for the Seahawks late heroics.