CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Russell Wilson threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to tight end Luke Wilson for the game’s only touchdown with 47 seconds remaining and the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Carolina Panthers 13-9 on Sunday afternoon at Bank of America Stadium.

The defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks (4-3), who snapped a two-game losing streak, were in danger of falling into their worst rut in more than two years.

The Seahawks drove 80 yards in nine plays, with Russell Wilson accounting for 53 yards on 4-for-4 passing and adding 21 rushing yards on two carries. Seattle never led until the touchdown.

Carolina kicker Graham Gano kicked three field goals, including a go-ahead boot from 46 yards out with 4:37 remaining.

Carolina (3-4-1), which leads the NFC South, is in the midst of a three-game winless stretch.

On Carolina’s go-ahead fourth-quarter drive, the Panthers averted trouble with less than 10 minutes left when Seattle lineman James Carpenter failed to wrap up quarterback Cam Newton on a would-be safety. Two plays later, Newton threw from the end zone into double coverage, connecting with wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin for 51 yards.

Wilson ended up 20-for-32 for 199 passing yards.

Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart gained 79 yards on 16 carries. Newton completed 12 of 21 passes for 171 yards.

Seattle’s tying score – on kicker Steven Hauschka’s 29-yard field goal — in the third quarter came after Newton’s ill-advised toss resulted in an interception for cornerback Marcus Burley, who returned the ball to the Carolina 40.

On that ensuing possession, Russell Wilson’s underthrown pass to open tight end Cooper Helfet was a blown chance for a Seahawks touchdown. A 12-play drive lasted six minutes, yet netted only 29 yards.

The Seahawks blew an opportunity on their next drive, reaching the Carolina 21 before a fumbled snap on third-and-1.

Carolina led 6-3 at halftime, preserving that edge when cornerback Josh Norman intercepted Wilson’s deflected third-down pass in the end zone. So the Seahawks moved 77 yards on the final possession of the half, coming up empty.

That was only the second red-zone interception thrown in Russell Wilson’s three-year career.

The Panthers scored first on Gano’s 31-yard field goal.

They settled for Gano’s 26-yard field goal at the 13:23 mark of the second quarter. Even a fourth-down pickup inside the Seattle 10-yard line and then two Seahawks penalties that prolonged the 12-play possession didn’t result in a Carolina touchdown.

The Seahawks went three-and-out on their first two possessions and picked up one first down on the next possession, enough to put them in position for Hauschka’s 58-yard field goal.

Carolina reached the Seattle 14, but Newton fumbled with 4:50 left in the second quarter.

Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin had two of the Seahawks’ three sacks.

NOTES: Seattle visited Carolina for the third year in a row, winning on all three visits. Last year, the meeting came in the season opener. … LB A.J. Klein returned to the starting lineup for the Panthers in place of LB Chase Blackburn, who was out with an injury. … Panthers OT Byron Bell played despite an elbow injury from a week earlier at Green Bay, but he limped off in the second quarter before returning. … Seattle LB Malcolm Smith left with a leg injury in the first half. … The Panthers lost S Thomas DeCoud to a hamstring ailment in the first half. … Seattle plays its next two games at home, beginning next week against the Oakland Raiders. … The Panthers have a quick turnaround for Thursday night’s home game against New Orleans in the first matchup of the season between NFC South contenders. No team in the division has a .500 record or better.