Seattle Seahawks: Is Marshawn Lynch Officially Back in Beast Mode?

For the second week in a row, Marshawn Lynch managed to crack the 100-yard plateau while serving as a key contributor in the Seattle Seahawks' surprising 22-17 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

Lynch, who last season came over in a trade from the Buffalo Bills, soon became a part of Seahawks folklore with his 67-yard earth-shaking "Beast Mode" touchdown run against the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints in the NFC Wild Card Round. 

Following that performance, the future with Lynch seemed bright in Seattle. However, for the better part of this season, the Beast has failed to impress. 

Nagging injuries, poor line play/support and the Hawks' constant state of flux on the offensive side of the ball—especially at the quarterback position—may have also contributed to this going all the way back to training camp. Now with all of these issues steadily going away, perhaps Lynch can at last get back to basics. 

Solid line play helped Lynch to chew up both yardage and the clock against Baltimore. It's not sexy, but it certainly proved effective enough to get the win as Steve Kelley at the Seattle Times explained.

"

Lynch pounded. And he punched. And he punished. Over and over again, like an irresistible force, he moved the pile, even with three or four of the nastiest Baltimore Ravens yanking at the ball like, well, ravens fighting over a piece of meat.

Lynch took a hit to get a yard. He delivered a hit to get another couple of yards. He was in full 'Beast Mode.'

"

The question now is whether Lynch can continue to build upon this performance?

Not since Shawn Alexander's heyday have the Hawks had an impact runner in the backfield. Prior to  Lynch's play over the past two weeks, the Hawks haven't even had anybody consistently gain any serious yardage on the ground this season. The committee of Lynch, Justin Forsett and Leon Washington could barely move the chains from week to week. 

However, do these two performances against formidable defenses from Baltimore and Dallas signal a flip of the switch for Lynch? 

The impact of a such a shift can have implications for not just this season, but arguably more so for the next several as the Hawks continue rebuilding.

To this point, much talk has focused on the Hawks' quarterback situation and the likelihood of drafting a replacement after this season. However, we've largely ignored/dismissed the potential need to select someone in the early rounds who can actually run the football.

That being said, if the Hawks can get more days like this out of Lynch, the front office can feel comfortable signing him long term after this season and focusing elsewhere in the draft and in free agency. Lynch is still only 25.

For now, the Beast is back. How long he stays will certainly be worth keeping an eye on the rest of the way.