SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks had to overcome five turnovers, a 16-point deficit and the fourth overtime in eight NFC Championship games before getting a rare shot at the repeat.

Or, as it’s being called in Seattle: a re-Pete.

Head coach Pete Carroll and his Seahawks overcame a horrific first half and scored 15 points in a span of 44 seconds late in the fourth quarter to stay alive before outlasting the Green Bay Packers 28-22 in overtime of Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.

Wide receiver Jermaine Kearse’s 35-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Russell Wilson on the opening drive of overtime put Seattle back in position to be the NFL’s first repeat champion since the 2004 New England Patriots.

But just getting to overtime wasn’t easy. Seattle trailed 16-0 at halftime and 19-7 with 2 1/2 minutes to go before one of the most unlikely finishes in NFC Championship history.

Trailing 19-7 with less than two minutes remaining, the Seahawks rallied to score on Wilson’s 1-yard run. Seattle’s first offensive touchdown of the game pulled the Seahawks within 19-14 with 2:09 left on the clock.

Seahawks receiver Chris Matthews then recovered an onside kick after Green Bay tight end Brandon Bostick failed to corral the high kick, and Seattle went on to score the go-ahead touchdown on a 24-yard touchdown run by running back Marshawn Lynch with 1:25 remaining — giving Seattle its first lead of the game. Wilson hit tight end Luke Willson on an improbable two-point conversion to put the Seahawks ahead 22-19.

Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was playing with a torn calf muscle for the second week in a row, put on a show of his own while leading the Packers down the field for the tying field goal. He led his team on a seven-play, 48-yard drive that began with back-to-back 15-yard receptions. Kicker Mason Crosby’s fifth field goal of the day, from 48 yards out, tied the score at 22 with 14 seconds left in regulation.

Wilson completed all three of his overtime passes, including back-to-back 35-yarders, to win the game. He connected with wide receiver Doug Baldwin on the sideline before hitting Kearse over the middle for the game-winner near-perfect throws.

Wilson overcame a horrific first half to complete 14 of 29 passes for 209 yards and the touchdown. He threw four interceptions total in the game.

Rodgers completed 19 of 34 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown, which came as the Packers were building up a 16-0 halftime lead.

Wilson overcame a nightmare of a first half, going 2 for 9 for 12 yards with three interceptions and a 0.0 quarterback rating — the worst half of his career — to get the Seahawks back in the game, but it was a punter who may have made the most important throw of the day.

Seattle’s Jon Ryan, who was holding for what turned out to be a fake field goal, hit eligible lineman Garry Gilliam on a 19-yard touchdown pass with 4:44 remaining in the third quarter to put the Seahawks on the board for the first time in the game.

Green Bay responded with a field goal to open up a 19-7 lead, and it looked for most of the afternoon as if that would hold up.

Seattle scored on its opening possession of overtime, winning the game on Wilson’s 35-yard pass to Kearse to cap off a six-play, 87-yard drive that took 3:19.

Rodgers threw two first-half interceptions Sunday, but was able to come away with a 16-0 halftime lead.

Seattle turned the ball over four times during a disastrous first half. The Seahawks were also penalized seven times.

After Green Bay’s first drive resulted in an end-zone interception, the Packers drove to the Seattle 1-yard line on back-to-back possessions but had to settle for a pair of Crosby field goals and a 6-0 lead. One field goal came after a Wilson interception, while a Baldwin fumble on a kickoff return set the Packers up for the second.

Green Bay finally got into the end zone on the final play of the first quarter, with Rodgers hitting Randall Cobb for a 13-yard touchdown and a 13-0 lead.

Crosby added a third field goal 5 1/2 minutes into the second quarter to put the Packers ahead 16-0.

Green Bay out-gained Seattle 178-59 in total yardage during the first half. The Seahawks didn’t get a first down until seven minutes into the second quarter, and Wilson’s first completion came with 3:30 remaining in the half.

Seattle’s defense played most of the second half with obvious injuries. Star safety Earl Thomas appeared to get his left shoulder popped back into place during the second quarter, while cornerback Richard Sherman appeared to hurt his left elbow on the opening play of the fourth quarter and played through the injury.

The Seahawks are now 2-1 when hosting the NFC Championship game. Their loss Sunday snapped an eight-game home winning streak in postseason games, dating back to a January 2005 loss to the St. Louis Rams.

NOTES: Fox Television reported just before kickoff that Packers WR Randall Cobb spent three hours in a hospital Saturday night. Cobb reportedly was complaining of abdominal pain that the team thought might be appendicitis. Cobb played Sunday and scored a touchdown on the final play of the first quarter. … Seahawks RT Justin Britt (knee) was ruled inactive for the game. Veteran Alvin Bailey started in his place. … During the opening 10 minutes of the game, Seattle had possession for less than a minute. An interception on the third play of the opening drive and a fumbled kickoff return resulted in two quick turnovers as Green Bay opened up a 6-0 lead. After one quarter, the Packers held a time-of-possession advantage of 12:38-to-2:22 while leading 13-0 on the scoreboard.