Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said early this week that running back Marshawn Lynch was ready to “let it rip” after a preseason that saw him get just three carries after ending his early holdout from training camp.
Carroll’s assessment was right on the money. Lynch ran 20 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns in Thursday night’s 36-16 win over the Packers and looked to be the same old Beast Mode that Seattle has come to love over the last few years. Most of Lynch’s work was done by hammering his way between the tackles, something that left Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett with the impression that the Packers didn’t want anything to do with getting in front of the train.
“Obviously we were the more physical team today, offensively and defensively. I saw supposedly some of the best players in the league not want to tackle Marshawn Lynch,” Bennett said, via the Associated Press. “Of course nobody is going to say nothing about that, but I seen a lot of guys whiff on tackles that should have been two-yard gains and they’re supposed to be the best.”
Whatever the reason for their inability to stop Lynch, the Packers have plenty of company in that department. Lynch has now run for at least 100 yards 20 times since the start of the 2011 season. That’s the most in the league over that span and there aren’t any signs he’s planning to stop now.