The Marshawn Lynch unretirement began with 76 yards in Tennessee. In three games since then, he has 75 yards. Combined.
Most recently, the Broncos bottled Lynch up for 12 yards on nine carries, a week after he gained only 18 on six carries in an ugly loss to Washington. And so, with 151 yards in four games and a per-carry average of 3.4 yards and with quarterback Derek Carr out for 2-6 weeks, it’s time for Lynch to step it up. If he can.
At a time when many assume Adrian Peterson has lost his fastball, it’s fair to wonder whether Lynch, after a year out of football, also has. While the Raiders have a good offensive line (although not good enough to keep from getting their quarterback’s back broken), they currently don’t have their starting quarterback. Which means that opposing defenses will load up the box in an effort: (1) to take Lynch away; and (2) to force EJ Manuel to beat them.
On Sunday, the Ravens limp into town after a pair of embarrassing losses and signs that the wheels could be coming off. If Lynch can’t get things rolling against Baltimore, maybe it’s just not going to happen for him, or for his team.