On Sunday, December 2, 2012, the same afternoon Greg Zuerlein was winning a game in overtime in St. Louis, another overtime finished in Chicago. The Seattle Seahawks, 1-5 on the road and clinging to a wild-card chase, trailed the Chicago Bears 14-10 when they took over at their own 3-yard line with 3:40 left in regulation. Rookie Russell Wilson drove them 97 yards for a touchdown, Robbie Gould tied it as time expired, and Wilson found Sidney Rice for a 13-yard score on Seattle’s first possession of overtime. The Seahawks won 23-17. It was their only road win of the season besides a September trip to Carolina, and it started a five-game closing run that carried them into the playoffs.
That St. Louis game is covered here: December 2, 2012, Rams 16, 49ers 13 in overtime.
A short-handed lead, and a fourth-and-1 that stayed zero
Chicago came in at 8-3, leading the NFC North, already missing Devin Hester and Alshon Jeffery and starting a patched offensive line. Seattle was 6-5 after a loss in Miami, still unbeaten at home and searching for a second road win. Marshawn Lynch fumbled on the Seahawks’ opening drive, Kelvin Hayden recovered near midfield, and Jay Cutler hit Earl Bennett for a 12-yard touchdown. Gould’s kick made it 7-0.
Early in the second quarter, Lovie Smith faced fourth-and-1 at the Seattle 15 with that lead. He kept the offense on the field. Michael Bush was stopped for no gain by Bobby Wagner. The choice is the kind of decision our fourth-down guide breaks down: three points on the board versus a failed try that gives the ball back. Smith later said some early decisions hurt the Bears. The score stayed 7-0 until Lynch ran four yards for a touchdown late in the half, and Stephen Hauschka added a 31-yard field goal just before intermission for a 10-7 Seattle lead.
Cutler answered in the third quarter with a touchdown pass to Matt Forte that restored a 14-10 Chicago lead. From there the game tightened. Urlacher, Tim Jennings, Earl Bennett and Chris Conte all left at some point with injury or illness. The Bears still led entering the final minutes.
Ninety-seven yards from the 3
Adam Podlesh’s punt was downed at the Seattle 3 with 3:40 left. Wilson missed Zach Miller deep, then hit Anthony McCoy for 11 yards. A Lynch catch-and-fumble was recovered by Wilson himself. Lynch gained 11. Wilson scrambled for 13 and six more. On fourth-and-3 from the Chicago 48, he found Miller for seven yards. A 27-yard strike to Sidney Rice moved the ball to the 14, and with 32 seconds left Wilson threw to Golden Tate for the touchdown. Hauschka’s kick made it 17-14.
Chicago still had 24 seconds. Cutler bought time and threw deep to Brandon Marshall, who leaped between Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas for 56 yards to the Seattle 30. Two plays later, Gould kicked a 46-yard field goal as the clock hit zero. Regulation ended 17-17.
Highlight package of Wilson’s late drives and the overtime finish, from the league’s Throwback channel.
Overtime: one possession, one touchdown
Regular-season overtime in 2012 used modified sudden death. A touchdown on the first possession ended the game; a field goal would have given the other team a chance. Our overtime guide covers how possession and scoring work under today’s version of the rule. Seattle won the toss and started at its 20.
Wilson ran for 11 on first down. Lynch gained 14. After a delay-of-game penalty, Michael Robinson caught a 13-yard pass, and Wilson converted third-and-2 with a five-yard run. He scrambled again for 12 to the Chicago 25. On third-and-10, Doug Baldwin caught a 12-yard pass to the 13. On the next snap Wilson rolled left and threw to Rice, who lunged into the end zone as Major Wright hit him. The replay assistant reviewed whether Rice broke the plane; the touchdown stood. Rice stayed down for several minutes, then walked off. He said afterward he knew he was in and that medical staff were being careful because of prior concussions. Urlacher and Jennings were both hurt on that drive. The final score was Seahawks 23, Bears 17.
| Time | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1st quarter, 8:33 | Earl Bennett catches a 12-yard touchdown from Jay Cutler; Robbie Gould kicks the extra point | Bears 7, Seahawks 0 |
| 2nd quarter, 2:15 | Marshawn Lynch runs 4 yards for a touchdown; Stephen Hauschka kicks the extra point | 7-7 |
| 2nd quarter, 0:05 | Hauschka kicks a 31-yard field goal | Seahawks 10, Bears 7 |
| 3rd quarter, 3:10 | Matt Forte catches a touchdown from Cutler; Gould kicks the extra point | Bears 14, Seahawks 10 |
| 4th quarter, 0:24 | Golden Tate catches a 14-yard touchdown from Russell Wilson; Hauschka kicks the extra point | Seahawks 17, Bears 14 |
| 4th quarter, 0:00 | Gould kicks a 46-yard field goal | 17-17 |
| Overtime, 7:33 | Sidney Rice catches a 13-yard touchdown from Wilson | Seahawks 23, Bears 17 |
By the numbers
| Seahawks | Bears | |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Russell Wilson, 23 of 37, 293 yards, 2 touchdowns, no interceptions; 9 carries, 71 yards | Jay Cutler, 17 of 26, 233 yards, 2 touchdowns, no interceptions; 5 carries, 27 yards |
| Rushing leader | Marshawn Lynch, 19 carries, 87 yards, 1 touchdown | Matt Forte, 21 carries, 66 yards |
| Receiving leader | Sidney Rice, 6 catches, 99 yards, 1 touchdown; Golden Tate, 5 catches, 96 yards, 1 touchdown | Brandon Marshall, 10 catches, 165 yards |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 0 |
| Field goals | Hauschka 1 of 1 (31) | Gould 1 of 1 (46) |
Marshall’s 165 yards were his sixth 100-yard game of the season and the most by a Bears receiver since Marty Booker had 198 against Minnesota in 2002. Cutler had been 25-0 in his career when posting a passer rating of at least 100 before this loss. Wilson, in his 12th career start, finished with 364 yards of offense if you add his rushing total to the 293 through the air.
What they said
Before overtime, Wilson told his teammates the season was on the line. “I just told the guys, ‘This is what the season comes down to, right here and right now,'” he said. Pete Carroll called him “beautifully poised.” Cutler said he told Marshall to run as fast as he could on the 56-yarder and that he would throw it up for him to make a play. Lovie Smith took the blame for preparation and early choices: “Terrible job I did getting our football team ready.”
What came next
Seattle went to 7-5 and then won out: 58-0 over Arizona, 50-17 at Buffalo, 42-13 over San Francisco and 20-13 over St. Louis, finishing 11-5. The Seahawks beat Washington 24-14 in the wild-card round and lost 30-28 at Atlanta in the divisional round. A year later they won Super Bowl XLVIII.
Chicago fell to 8-4, tied with Green Bay atop the NFC North after the Packers beat Minnesota that same Sunday. The Bears lost at Minnesota and at home to Green Bay, beat Arizona and Detroit, finished 10-6 and missed the playoffs.
In 2026 the clubs have already met once: Chicago won 34-17 in Seattle in Week 8. Through eight games the Bears are 6-2 and the Seahawks are 4-4. The scoring plays, drive notes and player numbers above come from the official play-by-play, with quotes from postgame interviews. 2026 records are through Week 8.
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