With Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson, Nothing Is Impossible

During the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship Game, I started to write down some notes about the Green Bay Packers secondary. This unit was challenging routes, making plays on the ball and suffocating the Seattle Seahawks wide receivers.

It was a perfect lede for Monday morning with a secondary that took away throwing lanes, forced turnovers and attacked downhill to fit up the run game. Technique and speed. That’s what I always look for in the defensive backfield, and you could see it all over the field for the Packers.

However, when you don’t close out games versus the Seahawks, it’s only a matter of time until both Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson take over and showcase their playmaking ability. That's what happened in Seattle's 28-22 come-from-behind win.

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There are plenty of negative angles to look at with the Packers and head coach Mike McCarthy after that collapse Sunday in the NFC Championship Game. And they run much deeper than the lack of execution from the Green Bay special teams on the onside kick. That’s just one play (of many) that allowed the Seahawks to climb back in this ballgame. 

But I want the focus to be Lynch and Wilson, because these guys never stopped competing.

We all know Wilson struggled for the majority of this matchup. The four interceptions, the lack of production and the overall failure to establish any sense of rhythm on offense. That impacted the play-calling and the field position given the number of three-and-outs for the Seahawks.

Bad football. That’s the best way I can say it.

However, when the Packers opened up that door late in the fourth quarter, Wilson and Lynch took advantage of the opportunity. Look at the production on the ground from Lynch (25 carries, 157 yards, one TD), the runs that moved the sticks or the zone schemes that allowed the veteran back to display his open-field ability once he pushed the ball through the second level of the defense.

Physical runs and the burst to get through the hole isn’t anything new from Lynch. Turn on the tape of the Seahawks games this season, and you will see the running back pushing piles forward or freezing defensive backs at the point of attack. He brings the ideal combination of power, vision and acceleration.

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Plus, we have to talk about Lynch’s 24-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter off the read-option scheme. That’s when the team needed one of the veterans to make a play. Bust a run and get the ball in the end zone to bring the squad back. Think of the game situation here with Lynch's ability to get through the hole and then weave his way to six points.

With Wilson, the story was already written.

He was going to be the guy at the center of the Monday morning analysis due to his poor play and lack of production. But then we see the deep ball on the 3rd-and-long, the read-option for six points and the two throws in overtime that were absolute dimes. Those were bucket throws on the playoff stage that won this team an NFC championship.

The first throw came on a fade route (from the slot) that Wilson dropped over Doug Baldwin's outside shoulder to set up the game-winner. It was a tough route to cover with Baldwin selling the stutter and creating some separation for Wilson to target the fade versus man coverage, and the ball was perfect. 

The game-winner was a classic—one of those plays we will see for years on the highlights as Wilson checked to the route after reading the Packers' initial defensive look.

Credit: NFL.com

As you can see, Green Bay rolls both safeties down versus two-tight end personnel (Tank/22) and shows press outside of the numbers. That tells Wilson there is no safety help in the middle of the field (zero coverage) with the Packers rushing five.

It creates a true one-on-one for Jermaine Kearse versus Tramon Williams (pre-snap check from Wilson) with the Seahawks wide receiver winning on the release (inside) and taking a vertical stem to the top of the numbers. Beat the defender’s leverage and get down the field to stack on top.

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Williams is beat on the release, but the Packers cornerback does recover to get back in-phase (on the hip) of Kearse down the field. That’s exactly what you want to see from a corner in this situation. However, look at the ball from Wilson. Again, upfield shoulder, away from the defender’s leverage to win the game. That’s as good as it gets when there is a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

I expect the talk surrounding this game to center on the Packers’ inability to close out the Seahawks. That’s fair. But let’s not forget about the plays that both Lynch and Wilson made during the fourth quarter and in overtime when given the opportunity.

In times of adversity on the field, there are specific players that every team looks to. That’s true leadership in the pro game. For the Seahawks, we know those are the stars on the defensive side of the ball and the playmakers in Lynch and Wilson, two guys who never stopped playing Sunday.

Seven-year NFL veteran Matt Bowen is an NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report.

Follow @MattBowen41