Despite dominating the first half, despite holding a seven-point lead in the waning minutes of play, the Rams found a way to lose.

"It's a helpless feeling to see 3 seconds on the clock - and they're in field-goal position," wide receiver Dane Looker said. "To lose that way is very tough. Especially at home, and to the Seahawks."

Olindo Mare's 27-yard field goal as time expired gave Seattle a 23-20 victory, possibly applying a dagger to Haslett's hopes of being retained as head coach in 2009.

Mare's kick made it eight straight victories for Seattle over their NFC West rivals. Three of those triumphs have come on last-second field goals.

It's also eight straight losses for the Rams this season, matching the longest losing streak for the franchise since the move to St. Louis in 1995.

Seattle (3-11) had been stumbling its way to the finish line as well this season, having lost six in a row entering Sunday's blacked-out contest at the Edward Jones Dome.

"An opponent that I don't like very much," said linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa. "An opponent that we had down for most of the game. To lose to them at the end is very tough."

The Rams missed several opportunities to put the game away in the first half. They gave the sagging Seahawks new life with a couple of costly turnovers, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Once again, Torry Holt was called for offensive pass interference, on what looked like a good catch. Once again, Steven Jackson disappeared down the stretch. Richie Incognito was booed liberally by the "crowd" of about 45,000 in attendance. And as a topper, there was some questionable play calling in the second half.

Other than that, it was a pleasant Sunday afternoon for the Rams at the dome.

"If nothing else, this team's going to learn quickly here in the future that when you have a chance to put a team away early in the game that those turnovers are going to come back and get you sooner or later," Haslett said.

Or as Holt put it, "When we're up, we've got to learn to punish teams or finish teams. They definitely were due to be finished, and we didn't do that."

The Rams dominated the first half, outgaining the Seahawks 243 yards to 76 and controlling time of possession by more than a 2-1 ratio. But those two costly turnovers prevented the Rams from having a commanding lead at intermission.

After scoring a touchdown on their first possession of the game for the first time since the Dallas game Oct. 19, the Rams didn't have the lead for long. On the Rams' second possession of the day, Derek Stanley was hit hard on an end-around by Seahawks defensive end Darryl Tapp. The ball squirted out, with Seattle safety Jordan Babineaux scooping up the fumble and returning it 24 yards for a touchdown.

It was the third defensive TD scored on the Rams in the past two weeks, and tied the game 7-7.

But a creative defensive game plan by coordinator Rick Venturi - one that featured extensive use of three-man fronts and tons of blitzing - kept the Seahawks off-balance and quarterback Seneca Wallace under siege.

Meanwhile, the St. Louis offense kept moving the ball and tacking on points. There was a fresh approach on this side of the ball, too - one that featured a quick passing game, reverses and some two-back sets (with Jackson and Kenneth Darby). There was even a pass from Looker to Bulger off a Wildcat-formation handoff by Jackson.

The game was teetering on the brink of a blowout after Jason Craft's forced fumble and fumble recovery on a Seattle kickoff return gave St. Louis the ball on Seattle's 42 with 3:36 to go in the first half. The Rams already led 17-7. After a 15-yard gain by Jackson, and a Bulger pass to wide-open tight end Joe Klopfenstein, it appeared 24-7 was in the offing.

But Klopfenstein was hit from behind by Rams tormentor Julian Peterson, who knocked the ball loose at the Seattle 15. Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant recovered.

"I'm not even sure how the ball came out," said Klopfenstein, who accepted full responsibility for the miscue. "I was just checking upfield and kind of lowering my head."

The second half was a different story. Seattle adjusted and exploited the Rams' three-man front and heavy blitzing, piling up 257 yards and putting up 16 points. In the fourth quarter, the Rams were gashed for pass plays of 37 yards (to set up the game-tying TD) and 45 yards (to set up the game-winning field goal).

Offensively, the Rams managed only three points and 99 yards after intermission.

"They were kind of playing to protect their lead, and that's tough," said Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu. "That's what it felt like."

And when it all slipped away for the Rams, it felt like more of the same old heartache.

"If you lose by 30 you feel like (bleep)," Bulger said. "If you lose in the last second, you feel like (bleep). In this league, if you lose, you know the consequences of not getting the job done. So they all feel the same way."