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GLENDALE, Ariz. — The game didn't decide the fate of this Seahawks season.

It mirrored it almost perfectly, though, from a first half that was packed with Seattle penalties but not much offense, to a second-half comeback that was impressive and unexpected, but ultimately futile

That story line of the Seahawks' 23-20 overtime loss at Arizona on Sunday was pretty much the story of this whole year.

"Typical of our season," quarterback Tarvaris Jackson said. "A slow start, us picking it up in the second half. Unfortunately we came up short, but I'm very proud of the guys in the locker room."

He should be, and there will be time in the next few days to enumerate all the ways the Seahawks made progress this season — from an offense that restored its running game to a defense that hits like a heavyweight to the youth-laden roster that figures to get better.

All that was on display Sunday as Seattle rallied from second-half deficits of seven and 10 points. The Seahawks ran the ball right at Arizona in the third quarter, driving inside the Cardinals' 20 on their first two possessions of the third quarter and tying the score 10-10 on Leon Washington's 48-yard touchdown run.

Arizona reclaimed the lead on Todd Heap's 13-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter, then tacked on a field goal in the fourth. But Seattle came back with 10 points in less than 3 minutes.

When undrafted rookie receiver Ricardo Lockette caught a 61-yard touchdown pass that tied the score with just under eight minutes remaining, the Seahawks were in position to conclude a season that will be remembered for a second-half turnaround with their biggest comeback of the year.

Seattle had its chance. Actually, it had its chances, since there were three possessions when it had the ball and a chance to take the lead. But those three drives totaled 42 yards of offense, two first downs and three punts as the Seahawks never got the ball past the Arizona 49.

So while everyone can fairly point to just how far Seattle has come this season, it's also important to point out how far these Seahawks still have to go, which in this case was at least field-goal range.

Arizona may have won the game when receiver Larry Fitzgerald turned overtime into his own showcase, catching three passes to set up a Jay Feely chip shot of a field goal with 5:59 left. But Seattle lost it when it was unable to cash in any of those final three possessions.

"We have to grow in that area more than anything," coach Pete Carroll said. "Finish the game where we make the plays and the drives occur that get us the wins we need. In this league, so often games come down to the end; we did not do as well as we would have liked to there."

The Seahawks' comeback was impressive. That's as true for Sunday's game as it was for this season. It showed both this team's resiliency and its ability to improve.

But taking the next step will require the Seahawks to develop a closer's mentality that they didn't quite have. Not in a season when they lost their final two regular-season games to division opponents, and not in Sunday's game when they couldn't get that one drive they needed to decide the game.

"The ingredients are there," running back Justin Forsett said. "Just got to be able to finish when it comes down to the stretch."

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