SEATTLE (Ticker) -- After his defense gave him a chance, Matt Hasselbeck delivered.
Hasselbeck threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Koren Robinson with 60 seconds remaining as the Seattle Seahawks posted a 24-23 victory over the St. Louis Rams, who lost star running back Marshall Faulk to an injury.
It looked like the Seahawks (3-0) were about to endure their first loss of the season after failing to convert a 4th-and-1 at their own 40 with under five minutes remaining.
But three plays later, linebacker Anthony Simmons got back the ball for the Seahawks when he intercepted a pass by Marc Bulger at the 26. It was the Seahawks' 12th takeaway in three games this season.
"Turnovers were a big part of the ballgame," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. "It gave us a chance to go on that last drive for the touchdown. We're still developing and those little extra opportunities really help us."
Hasselbeck took it from there, finding Robinson down the left sideline for 32 yards on first down. He also had a 13-yard completion to Bobby Engram and found Robinson for 14 yards to the 15.
On 3rd-and-8 from the 13, the Seahawks received a huge break when Rams defensive tackle Brian Young was called for holding Seahawks tackle Walter Jones.
"You try to do what you can do and get away with whatever they'll let you get away with," Young said. "They (offensive linemen) hold us all the time so it is a little payback. You can't spend time worrying about it, you just have to get ready for the next play and move on."
Three plays after the big penalty, Hasselbeck found Robinson on a quick slant over the middle for a touchdown. The play was reviewed but the call stood.
"I noticed how they had lined up and they were pretty outside conscious so I thought Koren could get in there," Holmgren said. "Fortunately, he did and Matt threw a nice pass."
Robinson, who was suspended for last Sunday's game at Arizona for a violation of team rules, finished with eight catches for 95 yards - all in the second half.
"Like anyone else, a player has to get into a rhythm," Hasselbeck said. "In the first half, I don't even think we threw to him, but he was huge in the end."
The surprising Seahawks have won their first three games for the first time in five seasons and for only the second time since 1986.
"The season is still early but it sure is a great start for us," Holmgren said. "Our best football is still ahead of us."
The Rams (1-2) got back the ball at their own 29 with 53 seconds to go, but were unable to pick up a first down.
"We couldn't move the ball at the end of the game when we needed to," Bulger said. "It doesn't matter how we played the rest of the game, we still lost."
St. Louis' offense also took a major hit when Faulk suffered a fractured left hand on his first carry of the third quarter after getting tackled by defensive tackle Cedric Woodard.
It is uncertain how long Faulk, who rushed for just 31 yards on 15 attempts, will be sidelined. Coach Mike Martz refused to reveal the injury, even though it was announced as a fracture.
"I don't know the extent of Marshall's injury," Martz said. "I know they don't have an X-ray machine here or it's broken. We think it might be a broken hand. We'll have to get back to St. Louis and find out."
The Rams had taken a 23-10 lead on Jeff Wilkins' second 33-yard field goal of the third quarter. But the Seahawks were able to rally behind Hasselbeck, who has been considered a disappointment since being acquired from Green Bay in 2001
Hasselbeck engineered a nine-play, 70-yard drive that he capped with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Darrell Jackson 50 seconds into the fourth quarter, pulling the Seahawks within 23-17.
Hasselbeck came up huge on the march, with an 18-yard completion to Robinson on 3rd-and-14 and a 25-yard connection to tight Itula Mili.
On the Rams' second play from scrimmage after Hasselbeck's TD, the Seahawks' defense came up with a big play when strong safety Reggie Tongue intercepted Bulger inside Seattle territory.
The Seahawks drove to the Rams 17, but rookie Josh Brown missed a 35-yard field goal to the right.
After the Rams went three-and-out, the Seahawks were faced with a 4th-and-1 at their own 41 with just under five minutes left. Coach Mike Holmgren elected to go for it, but Hasselbeck's pass for Jackson was knocked away by free safety Aeneas Williams.
But three plays later, the Seahawks got the ball back when a pass from Bulger went off the hands off Dane Looker and Simmons grabbed it out of the air.
Simmons' interception set the stage for Hasselbeck, who finished 22-of-39 for 256 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Hasselbeck was without one of his offensive weapons at the start. Running back Shaun Alexander did not enter the game until midway through the second quarter after spending time with his wife, Valerie, who had a baby girl.
Alexander wound up with 58 yards on 14 carries.
Without Alexander at the start, the Seahawks grabbed a 7-0 lead 3:01 into the contest when Arlen Harris fumbled a punt and Orlando Huff recovered it in the end zone.
Bulger, who was knocked out of a game here last season with a back injury, tied the contest with a three-yard touchdown run with 3:29 left in the quarter. Bulger's TD was set up by linebacker Tommy Polley's interception at the Seattle 33.
On the Rams' ensuing possession of the second quarter, Bulger directed a 14-play, 63-yard drive. He kept the drive alive with a 14-yard completion to Torry Holt on 3rd-and-9 to the Seattle 10.
Three plays later, Bulger found Isaac Bruce over the middle for a seven-yard touchdown, giving the Rams a 14-3 lead with 9:10 left in the half.
Bulger, who fell to 7-2 as a starter with both losses coming to the Seahawks, completed 21-of-34 passes for 226 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Wilkins and Brown traded field goals in the final 2:21 of the first half, leaving the Rams with a 17-10 lead.
