SEATTLE - The Dallas Cowboys throttled the NFL's leading rusher, strong-armed the league's top offense and controlled the line of scrimmage when they had the ball.

Then they collapsed. Again.

With 14 seconds left in a 10-10 tie, Seattle Seahawks nickelback Jordan Babineaux intercepted Drew Bledsoe's sideline pass to Terry Glenn and returned it 25 yards, setting up Josh Brown's 50-yard field goal as time expired Sunday.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said it was "as tough a game to lose as any game we've had, any game we've ever had."

Worse, Jones said, than even the Monday night meltdown in Week 2 against Washington, when Dallas shut the Redskins out all night, only to give up two touchdowns in the final 3:46 and lose 14-13.

Consider all that was squandered Sunday: Dallas held Shaun Alexander to a season-low 61 yards, while Cowboys third-string runner Marion Barber piled up 95 yards behind a line missing Pro Bowl left tackle Flozell Adams.

AP

Seattle Seahawks' Josh Brown (3) celebrates with teammates Shaun Alexander, left, Grant Wistrom after Brown kicked the game winning 50-yard field goal with five seconds on the clock to beat the Dallas Cowboys 13-10 in Seattle Sunday, Oct. 23, 2005.

And the defense played well, despite missing linebacker Dat Nguyen and defensive end Kenyon Coleman and losing cornerback Anthony Henry to a shoulder injury.

"I hate it for the players. I hate it for the coaching staff. I hate it for our fans," Jones said.

Now, instead of maintaining first place and putting together their first three-game winning streak since October 2003 -- the year Jones hired Bill Parcells to coach -- the 4-3 Cowboys sunk to a half-game behind the rest of their division entering this weekend's home game against Arizona.

The 5-2 Seahawks, meanwhile, go into their bye week on a three-game winning streak, two games ahead in the NFC West.

"Good things are just falling into place for us," Alexander said. "But, hey, good things happen to good teams."

Alexander's 11-yard run on the final Seattle touchdown drive gave him 6,713 career yards, passing Chris Warren as the franchise leader.

Dallas led 7-3 early in the fourth quarter and was primed for a clinching touchdown, after Jacques Reeves recovered Seattle return man Jimmy Williams' ill-advised, muffed attempt to corral a grounded punt at the Seahawks 9.

On third down, tight end Jason Witten ran a pass route parallel to the goal line. Seahawks safety Marquand Manuel -- starting because Ken Hamlin remained in a Seattle hospital after an assault last week -- fell behind Witten and then tried to grab him. While Seattle's Grant Wistrom sacked Bledsoe, an official threw a penalty flag at Manuel for illegal contact.

But then referee Terry McAulay announced he was waving off the flag. On the sideline, an angry Parcells began to approach two officials. Wide receivers coach Todd Haley restrained Parcells, who angrily swiped back at his assistant.

On the field, officials told Witten that Manuel's contact was "incidental."

"Incidental contact? It's hard for me to accept that when it's 'man' coverage," Witten said.

Still, as Parcells noted, "we had our chances after that."

On the next play, Jose Cortez missed a 29-yard field goal on a wide snap, and Dallas' next drive ended after three fruitless plays.

Even a chance from the Seattle 12, after Roy Williams intercepted skittish Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck with 3:10 left, netted only Cortez's 21-yard field goal and a 10-3 lead.

Dallas promptly gave that back by allowing Seattle to suddenly awaken and drive 81 yards. Hasselbeck tied it with a 1-yard touchdown pass to backup tight end Ryan Hannam with 40 seconds left.

Then came Bledsoe's easily read throw to Glenn.

"I don't think you should ask me about Seattle's success," Glenn said. "Don't get me wrong, they have a really good football team and a high-powered offense.

"But I think we gave that one to them today." Notes: The game attracted the second-largest crowd in the four-year history of Qwest Field, 67,046 -- despite the first in-game rain in stadium history.