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Opportunity knocked for the Seahawks on a soggy Sunday afternoon at CenturyLink Field.

And they finally found a way to answer, as Russell Wilson’s 46-yard touchdown pass to Sidney Rice with 1:18 left in the game allowed them to beat the New England Patriots 24-23 before an emotionally exhausted crowd of 68,137.

Wilson also threw a 10-yard TD pass to Braylon Edwards in the fourth quarter – on a fourth-and-three play – as the Seahawks scrapped back from a 23-10 deficit in the final 7½ minutes.

Wilson was 16 of 27 for 293 yards and three TD passes, as he outdueled Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense that was ranked No. 1 in the NFL entering the game.

The Seahawks’ No. 1-ranked defense, meanwhile, allowed 475 yards and 23 points, but kept the lid on the Patriots when it mattered most as Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas intercepted passes.  

The victory upped the Seahawks’ record to 4-2, with three of the wins coming at CenturyLink Field in as many games. The Seahawks also started 4-2 in Pete Carroll’s first season as coach, before they lost seven of their next nine games.

The Seahawks now face a very short week, because they will leave Wednesday for Thursday night’s game against the 49ers in San Francisco.

In the final quarter, the Patriots got a field goal to go up by 13 with 9:21 to play. But the Seahawks came back to score a TD with 7:21 remaining and then added the game-winner – on Wilson’s 46-yard pass to Rice – with 1:18 left.

On Wilson's TD pass to Rice, he lofted the ball toward the end zone and Rice was able to run under it. On the first TD pass to Edwards, the Seahawks not only went for it on fourth down they went to Edwards in the left side of the end zone. Edwards caught the pass from Wilson despite being interference with by Patriots cornerback Alfonso Dennard. Edwards had caught six passes in the first five games.

The Seahawks had the ball in Patriots’ territory, thanks to a 40-yard pass interference penalty, and apparently a first down on Wilson’s 7-yard pass to tight end Zach Miller to the 30. But Miller lost the ball while fighting to get the first down and the Patriots recovered the fumble.

The Seahawks jumped to a 10-7 lead in the first quarter as they scored first (Steven Hauschka’s 34-yard field goal) and last (Wilson’s 24-yard TD pass to Doug Baldwin). In between, the Patriots got a 46-yard TD pass from Brady to Wes Welker. The Seahawks’ scoring drives covered 68 and 85 yards.

Wilson was 7 of 8 for 131 yards in the scoring drives to out-Brady Brady. He also scrambled for nine yards on a third-and-4 play on the TD drive. On the TD pass, Baldwin slipped on the play coming from the slot, got up and ran past cornerback Kyle Arrington to take Wilson’s pass in the end zone.

But the Patriots then played keep away in the second quarter, driving 80 yards for a TD and 41 yards to a field goal. On the drive to Brady’s 1-yard scoring pass to Aaron Hernandez, the Patriots’ quick-strike offense used six minutes, 17 seconds to move those 80 yards in 15 plays.

Brady was 8 of 9 for 62 yards on the TD drive and 5 of 8 for 36 yards on the 41-yard drive to the field goal.

On a second-and-9 play, guard Paul McQuistan was called for holding. But the Patriots declined, taking the 1-yard loss on a run by Marshawn Lynch. On the next play, defensive end Chandler Jones beat tight end Zach Miller to produce a fumble-forcing sack of Wilson and end Rob Ninkovich recovered at the Seahawks’ 47. Eleven plays later, Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 25-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 35-yard field goal with 9:21 left in the quarter to extend New England’s lead.

The Patriots were driving again on their second possession of the quarter, but on a second-and-5 play Sherman intercepted Brady’s pass at the Seahawks’ 20.