Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks Running Game Rebirth Huge for Seattle Down the Stretch

It can be painful to watch Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch. And I mean actual pain, with body aches and everything.

He can be exciting and entertaining too because his desire to topple rather than avoid is football at its very essence, with one man dominating another using raw strength.

But mostly, watching Lynch leads to pain. Even the mere thought of having to slow him down is harmful to your health.

The New York Giants didn’t slow Lynch during a 38-17 loss Sunday, highlighted by 21 Seahawks points in the fourth quarter. They didn’t limit him either, and they weren’t even a minor annoyance.

Wounded was their default state throughout the afternoon, with a side helping of bruised and embarrassed.

Lynch ran for 140 yards at a pace of 6.6 yards per attempt while scoring four times, a career single-game touchdown high. He nearly equaled his rushing touchdown total over the Seahawks’ first eight games (five). Toss in his two touchdowns during a win over the Oakland Raiders in Week 9, and he’s now scored six times over the past two weeks.

Which leads to another impressive pace: Lynch has scored once every seven carries during that stretch.

"That's the kind of game every offensive lineman dreams about," Seahawks left tackle Russell Okung told ESPN.com.

Of his 21 carries against the Giants, seven ended in gains of 10 yards or more, including runs for 16, 17 and 22 yards. Lynch also added 23 yards on his lone reception and accounted for 31.9 percent of the Seahawks’ total offense. He was the centerpiece of a rushing attack that trucked the Giants at every opportunity, setting a franchise record with 350 yards on the ground.

It was Lynch’s first 100-plus-yard game since Week 1 and a bounding leap above his per-game rushing averages since then. During the seven-game stretch after Seattle beat the Green Bay Packers on opening night, Lynch averaged only 62.7 rushing yards.

Some of that was due to odd and downright baffling usage by offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, and some of Lynch’s lumbering was because of game circumstances. But Sunday he gave us a reminder we didn’t need: The Seahawks offense is much more effective when Lynch does his hammering while being supported by quarterback Russell Wilson running the read-option masterfully.

Those two alone combined for 247 rushing yards (Wilson finished with 107). When Wilson scored on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter, he attached even more history to the Seahawks’ rushing dominance.

At the end of the first half, Seattle had already pummeled away for 149 rushing yards, matching its total the previous week. Between Lynch, Wilson and backup Christine Michael (four carries for 72 yards), the Seahawks finished with a lot of chunk yardage from multiple sources.

	Rushing yards	Yds/carry	+10 yard carries	Longest run
Marshawn Lynch	140	6.6	7	22
Russell Wilson	107	7.6	5	26
Christine Michael	71	17.8	2	45

But it wasn’t easy, because a disciplined run slog is always a challenge. At first it’s a challenge physically, and that grows when mistakes make sticking with the run difficult.

And there were plenty of those from the Seahawks. Wilson threw two interceptions, one in the first quarter that led to a Giants touchdown five plays later. Prior to Week 10 he had thrown only three picks on 158 dropbacks. Two drives later, running back Robert Turbin fumbled at his own 39-yard line, gifting the Giants great field position that was erased quickly by a defensive stop.

Though the Seahawks defense overall did its familiar stonewalling (holding Giants quarterback Eli Manning to 6.4 yards per attempt and generating a key late third-quarter interception), leaks in the secondary gushed at times. Manning’s primary target was wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who finished the first half with 92 receiving yards, 44 of which came when he roasted Seahawks all-universe cornerback Richard Sherman with a double move.

All that stumbling amid the rushing brilliance from Wilson and Lynch led to a tie game after three quarters, 17-17.

It would be easy at that point to drift away from an offensive identity and shift in a moment of desperation. The Seahawks needed points, they needed to move the ball and they needed to do it all now. They couldn’t halt the positive vibes of a two-game mini-winning streak with a letdown loss against a Giants team that had been thumped 40-24 in Week 9. In the NFC West this year the slightest November slip could end in a December death.

But when the Seahawks offense is sizzling, the temperature is raised along with the level of deception and physicality. The threat of Lynch’s pounding leads to a defense anxiously crashing the middle, which opens glorious green grass for Wilson to the outside when he keeps the ball on read-option plays. And the threat of Wilson sprinting wide (and long...and far) opens space for Lynch.

It’s all a relentless cycle of gashing that wears on the opposing defense over the course of a game, with Wilson often punching first early and Lynch following with a knockout late.

So unlike his counterpart with the San Francisco 49ers a week ago, Bevell didn’t deviate from his offense’s core identity when it mattered most. What brought the Seahawks to their deadlock is what would also break it. The result? In a fourth quarter that started with the score tied, Seattle rushed for 157 yards, scoring three touchdowns (all rushing).

It was a statement at a time when one was needed. Loudly, the Seahawks showed that when it’s time to lean on their strength and what they do best—run, grind and then more running and grinding—they can still beat you with brute force.

Maintaining that presence and identity is about to get really hard, really fast with the divisional-leading Arizona Cardinals and 49ers teed up over two of the Seahawks’ next three games. They entered this week ranked third and seventh respectively against the run, far better than the 31st-ranked Giants.

That’s the gauntlet ahead as the clawing for the NFC West and a playoff spot tightens. But although the opponent and the challenges presented may change, the Seahawks' offensive identity can’t.

Pounding and eventually breaking through is the heartbeat of this offense. Sometimes it’s ugly, but that matters little if you’re being fitted for another shiny ring.