Seattle Seahawks: Stupid Move Not to Run Marshawn Lynch at Goal Line

The Seattle Seahawks have one of the best running backs in the league, Marshawn Lynch.  More importantly, he is arguably the most punishing runner between the tackles in the NFL.

That fact is what makes it all the more confusing why Pete Carroll elected to go to the air on 2nd-and-goal at the 1-yard line in the waning seconds of Super Bowl XLIX.  After wide receiver Jermaine Kearse completed an acrobatic catch to put the Seahawks at the five yard line, Lynch ran up the middle for four yards.

And then, with only one yard separating Seattle from their second consecutive Lombardi Trophy, it did the unthinkable.  Instead of handing the ball off against to Lynch, it chose to run a pick play.  Russell Wilson's pass was intended for Ricardo Lockette, but it was intercepted by rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler. The Patriots held on for the 28-24 victory.

Why in the world would you pass the ball in that situation when you have one of the most physical running backs in recent memory on the roster?

It makes absolutely no sense.  Lynch carried the ball 24 times for 102 yards in the game.  That's an average of over four yards per carry, and there is no way the Patriots could have stopped him for no gain.

Even worse, the Seahawks had one timeout left.  There were still more than 20 seconds left in the game, so Lynch could have gotten at least three attempts to get one yard.  

Lynch led the league in touchdowns with 17 and is the most bruising downhill running back in the league. He failed to gain positive yards on only two rushes all game long, and he didn't even get an opportunity to score the final touchdown.

Ian Rapaport of NFL.com reported early Sunday morning that the Seahawks had offered Lynch a "huge" contract extension.  Well, they are willing to pay him millions of dollars, but they don't trust him to get one yard.

It is one of the most surprising decisions of the year.  Seattle took an unnecessary risk by going to the air, and this time it didn't pay off.  Maybe there's an explanation, but on the surface, it was not a smart thing to do.