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RENTON, Wash. -- When Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was asked Monday how his patchwork offensive line did against the Houston Texans, he used the same word a couple of times, which seemed appropriate: Survived.

Carroll was asked how rookie right tackle Michael Bowie held up against unstoppable J.J. Watt.

“Yeah, he survived the game,” Carroll said of Bowie.

And what about Paul McQuistan, moving from guard to make his second consecutive start at left tackle Russell Okung?

“He’s surviving,” Carroll said of McQuistan.

You can read between the lines. In other words, both men did their best and left the field healthy, but didn’t exactly take charge out there.

The truth is, none of the five starters up front did that, including guards James Carpenter and J.R. Sweezy, or back-up center Lemuel Jeanpierre, who started for injured Pro Bowler Max Unger. Quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked five times and was under constant pressure.

Yet the Seahawks still found a way to come from behind and beat a good team on the road 23-20 in overtime, remaining unbeaten at 4-0.

However, can the Seahawks continue to do that with an offensive line that’s struggling and trying to find its way?

“Well they’re going to get better,” Carroll said of the offensive line. “They’re going to improve. It’s going to be easier for Mike with the second time out at right tackle. I thought he and Sweezy did better as the game went on. They struggled early and got better in terms of working together. So, hopefully, that will continue to improve.”

It needs to because Bowie will continue to start a few weeks longer. Starting right tackle Breno Giacomini had arthroscopic knee surgery Monday. Carroll said doctors told him the procedure went well and Giacomini could return soon, but the timetable is uncertain.

All Carroll hopes to see from Bowie is his best effort to get better.

“I don’t know that we could ask for any more than that,” Carroll said. “He did improve during the game [at Houston], which what’s most encouraging. Mike is going to be a good football player. We really don’t have any question about that. He’s growing quickly. He was comfortable with it and it wasn’t too big for him. So I’m hoping that we’ll see real steady improvement here in the next couple of weeks until Breno has a chance to come back.”

Unger (who missed the Houston game with a triceps injury) could return this weekend at center, but McQuistan is the likely starter at left tackle for at least six more week until Okung is eligible to come off injured reserve.

“It’s not his natural spot, but with smarts and utilizing the scheme he’s getting through it,” Carroll said of McQuistan. “That’s all we can hope for him to continue to do for us. It’s a big challenge out there. He’s getting great players [lining up against him] week in and week out and he’s going to work hard to survive it.”

Survival is the minimum requirement. Anything more is a bonus.

Bennett OK: There were a lot of concerned faces among the Seahawks when defensive linemen Michael Bennett was face down on the turf before being carted off the field in the first half Sunday. He was taken to a Houston hospital, but Bennett returned to Reliant Stadium late in the second half and was walking on the sideline. He strained a muscle in his lower back.

“Michael is gonna be OK and will practice this week,’’ Carroll said Monday about Bennett. “He was feeling pretty good [Monday]. He was really scared when it happened and didn’t know what was going on. We will see how much he can work, but hope he can play this week.”

A weekly examination of the Seahawks' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 1 | Last Week: 1 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

A near-miraculous second-half comeback to remain unbeaten wasn’t enough for the Seattle Seahawks to keep the top spot in the ESPN.com Power Rankings.

Seattle pulled off a 23-20 overtime victory on the road against the Houston Texans, but judging by how poorly the Seahawks played in the first half, it’s easy to see why the Denver Broncos leaped ahead of them.

Seattle was down 20-3 at the half after giving up 324 yards (including 226 passing yards) to the Texans. And the Seahawks' patchwork offensive line, down three starters, was a hot mess most of the day, allowing five sacks and looking clueless on how to keep the Texans' defenders out of the backfield.

However, the Seahawks are at their best when things look their worst. Down 20-6 in the fourth quarter, quarterback Russell Wilson used his running ability to lead the team to a 98-yard touchdown drive. And Richard Sherman made Texans quarterback Matt Schaub the most unpopular man in Houston with a 58-yard pick-six to tie the game.

The Seahawks' final 42-yard drive led to a 45-yard Steven Hauschka field goal that won it after the Seattle defense had held the Texans scoreless for the last 41 minutes of the game at 20-all.

So it was a tale of two halves. The Seahawks didn’t look like a team worthy of a top-10 ranking in the first half. They looked like a team of heart, grit and a never-quit attitude in the second half.

The end result was another victory, but a one-spot drop in the rankings.

A review of four hot issues from the Seattle Seahawks' 23-20 overtime victory over the Houston Texans:

A telling victory: It says a lot about a team's character when it does as many things wrong as Seattle did Sunday and still found a way to win. The Seahawks were down 20-3 at halftime and had given up 324 yards to the Texans, but completely turned things around in the fourth quarter to eventually win in overtime. "We showed we can prevail no matter what happens,” said defensive end Chris Clemons.

Stats can be misleading: If you try to judge the Seahawks by what you read in the box score, you are making a big mistake. Seattle isn't 4-0 because it puts up better numbers than its opponents. The Seahawks are undefeated because they are at their best when things seem to be the worst. This team is all about making big plays in crucial situations. They thrive on it. And they are willing to take risks on plays that can shift the game in their favor and change the outcome: cornerback Richard Sherman jumping in front of a pass for a 58-yard pick-six, Golden Tate catching a punt at the goal line and returning it to the 31, quarterback Russell Wilson going for the extra yards running rather than sliding to avoid a hit, etc. Sometimes the risks come back to bite them, but most of the time they become big plays that give Seattle the edge.

The offensive line must improve: It's remarkable Seattle was able to come from behind and win Sunday on a day in which three offensive line starters were out with injuries. Wilson rarely had time to make throws downfield because the backups struggled against the talented defensive front for Houston. But the Seahawks cannot expect to keep winning when the offensive line plays as poorly as it did Sunday. Center Max Unger and right tackle Breno Giacomini might be back soon, which will help. Left tackle Russell Okung is out for a least another six weeks. Seattle will have to fight through this, which it did Sunday, and hope the line gets better. Rookie tackle Michael Bowie, who started for Giacomini on Sunday, has the physical skills to become a good player, but he needs more playing time. His first start came against one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL in J.J. Watt, so Bowie's performance is bound to improve if he starts again this weekend for Giacomini. The Seahawks are fortunate they have the most elusive quarterback in the league in Wilson, but he won't stay healthy if the line doesn't show progress.

Lynch hitting his stride: Running back Marshawn Lynch rushed for 98 yards on 17 carries Sunday, including a Beast-Mode special in the first quarter Sunday when he broke at least six tackles on a 43-yard run from the Seattle 2 to the 45. The Seahawks need Lynch to keep it up and take some of the heat off Wilson and the offensive line in pass blocking. The more an opponent's defense has to focus on Lynch, the more pressure it takes off the line in pass blocking and the better Wilson is at making big throws downfield. As bad as the O-line is at times in pass protection, it can be pretty good overall in run blocking.

HOUSTON -- An ugly winner always is better than a pretty loser, at least in football.

Teams just aren’t supposed to win 23-20 in overtime when they do as many things wrong as the Seattle Seahawks did Sunday against the Houston Texans.

Seahawks receiver Golden Tate sat in a jubilant locker room afterward and just shook his head, almost in disbelief at what he had just witnessed and been a part of.

“Wow. Man, I’m in awe,” he said. “It’s never over for us. We have a lot of things to fix everywhere, but you know what? We’re getting on this plane and going home 4 and 0.”

Special-teams captain Heath Farwell also seemed a little stunned afterward.

“This team is something special,” Farwell said. “Today showed the difference between a good team and a great team. I’m just so proud of all these guys.”

He should be. They were down 20-3 on the road at halftime. Their offensive line was missing three starters, including two Pro Bowl players, and they were starting a rookie, seventh-round draft choice (Michael Bowie) against the best defensive player in the NFL (J.J. Watt).

Their defense completely forgot they entered the game No. 1 in the league, playing like they were No. 1 in leaving receivers wide open.

The Seahawks were outgained by more than 206 yards and their third-down efficiency was 21 percent. And their quarterback (Russell Wilson) had a miserable 49.7 passer rating for the game because he spent most of the day trying to avoid becoming permanently embedded in the Reliant Stadium turf.

But there’s something strange about this team, in a good way. When things seem to be at their worst, the Seahawks are at their best.

Despite all those negatives and all those mistakes, Seattle did enough things right to win and remain unbeaten. It’s the first time in franchise history the Seahawks have started a season with four victories.

“It wasn’t the prettiest win in the world," Wilson said Sunday after the game. “But it sure looks pretty now.”

Seattle couldn’t have played much worse in the first half, down 17 points in a game the Texans had dominated on both sides of the ball.

“They handed it to us in the first half and we didn’t have any answers to stop it,” said Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. “But to play the way we did in the second half and overtime was crazy good. This is a fantastic team.”

It was when it mattered the most. The Texans failed to score in the final 41 minutes and 34 seconds of the game.

“It’s a testament to our character,” defensive tackle Red Bryant said. “We never quit. We hung in there and kept fighting. We played our best football in the second half. We showed a lot of grit today.”

The biggest mistake anyone can make is to look at game stats and try to determine how good the Seahawks are. You won’t find it there.

This team is undefeated because it makes the game-changing plays when the outcome is on the line:

• Cornerback Richard Sherman getting a 58-yard pick-six to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
• Wilson deciding to run with the ball when the Texans' defense kept him from throwing it effectively.
• Receiver Doug Baldwinmaking another tiptoe sideline catch to keep a touchdown drive going in the fourth quarter.
• Tate making a decision to field a punt on the goal line, then returning it to the 31 to start the final drive that won the game on Steven Hauschka's 45-yard field goal.

“We have playmakers all around,” Tate said. “No. 3 [Wilson] took over the game when he needed to. Sherm took over when he needed to. Our goal is always to play longer and harder than our opponent. We found a way. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t pretty, but we found a way.”

The Seahawks are firm believers in risks being worth the reward, like Sherman jumping in front of a Matt Schaub pass in the flat that became a Seattle touchdown.

“It’s a high-risk play,” Sherman said. “You’ve got to jump it and you might get beat. But if you make the play you can change the game. I lost my shoe for about 50 of those yards, so it may be the longest return without a shoe.”

No shoes required, just courage. The same with Tate’s unorthodox punt return.

“I know I’m going to hear about it in the meetings this week,” Tate said. “I went totally against what I’m supposed to do, but I felt a play needed to be made and we needed some momentum. I was confident. We do what we have to do.”

That’s exactly what Wilson did on a 98-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter when he ran for 53 of those yards before Marshawn Lynch scored on a 3-yard run.

“Marshawn and I talked,” Wilson said “He said, ‘Hey Russ, just take over.’ So I decided just to take off and try to get positive gains. We had to find a way.”

The Seahawks found a way to win on a day when every indicator said they should have lost.

“It’s gonna be ugly sometimes,” Sherman said. “It wasn’t a great stat game, but we did enough things and made enough plays to get the win. Those kind of games make championship teams. We had guys out there grinding. Regardless of how we get the win, it's still a win.”

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HOUSTON -- Observed in the locker room after the Seattle Seahawks' 23-20 overtime victory against the Houston Texans:

Jubilation: For the most part, the Seahawks were pretty calm this season after their first three victories, including the 29-3 victory against the San Francisco 49ers. But it was a celebration this time with the players realizing they can find a way to win on a day when they don't play well in a lot of areas.

Bennett walking around: After leaving the field on a stretcher near the end of the first half and being taken to a local hospital with a lower back injury, Michael Bennett was smiling and walking around congratulating his teammates in the locker room. He actually returned to the sideline in the fourth quarter, which cornerback Richard Sherman said was a huge emotional boost for the defense.

Sherman happy to win ugly: Sherman had a 58-yard pick-six that tied the game in the fourth quarter but admitted the Seahawks made a lot of mistakes Sunday. “It’s wasn't pretty, and games aren’t always going to be pretty," he said. "But we grinded it out and never quit. That’s what championship teams do.”

Carroll giving out hugs: Coach Pete Carroll was still in the locker room when reporters entered the room. He was hugging every player he could and congratulating everyone. Clearly, this victory was special to him and his players.

HOUSTON -- A few thoughts on the Seattle Seahawks' 23-20 overtime victory against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium.

What it means: Even on a day when the Seahawks looked awful in many areas of the game, they still found a way to win, pulling off a stunning come-from-behind victory on the road. This game showed the Seahawks have some problem areas on the offensive line and can give up big yards on defense. But it was quarterback Russell Wilson's scrambling and running downfield that got Seattle back in the game in the fourth quarter. Then a Richard Sherman 58-yard interception return for a touchdown tied the game before a Steven Hauschka 45-yard field goal won it. This is the first time the Seahawks have ever won the first four games in a season.

Stock watch: An awful day for the Seattle offensive line, but no one should be surprised with three starters injured. Free safety Earl Thomas had an early interception off a tipped ball and Sherman tied it in the fourth quarter with the pick-six, but the Seahawks struggled on defense in the first half. It was a season-worst day for the defense early, but things changed in the second half and overtime when the Seahawks' defense looked like the No. 1 unit in the NFL.

First half woes: The Seahawks gave up 324 yards in the first half, including 226 yards passing. The Texans led 20-3 at the half after Houston receivers were wide open in the middle of the field against the highly acclaimed Seattle secondary. What happened?

Wilson a sitting duck all day: With three starters out on the offensive line, including Pro Bowlers Max Unger and Russell Okung, the backups up front were no match for defensive end J.J. Watt, linebacker Whitney Mercilus and the other Houston pass-rushers. Wilson was sacked five times and under pressure on almost every pass play, yet still managed to bring the Seahawks back in the fourth quarter and lead the team to victory.

What’s next: The Seahawks travel to face the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. It will be the second consecutive 10 a.m. PT start time for the Seahawks and the third of five 10 a.m. starts this season.

Join our ESPN.com NFL experts as they break down the Seattle Seahawks' visit to the Houston Texans. Contribute your thoughts and questions beginning at 1 p.m. ET. And, be sure to visit our NFL Nation Blitz page for commentary from every game, as well as fan photos and the latest buzz from Twitter. See you there.