Marshawn Lynch’s TD Run Vs. Cardinals Sprung By Great Receiver Blocking

When Marshawn Lynch enters “Beast Mode,” whatever the defense tries to do to stop him almost doesn’t matter.

The ultimate example of “Beast Mode” from the 2014 season came against the Arizona Cardinals, who were helpless against Lynch on a 79-yard touchdown run last December. The Seattle Seahawks running back appeared to leave most of Cardinals defenders in the dust and break the tackles of the rest. But as former NFL linebacker Matt Chatham writes on FootballbyFootball.com, there was a lot more to it than that.

“But if ‘Beast Mode’ is all you take away from this clip, well, you missed a big chunk of the football art,” Chatham writes. “But that’s why we’re here to help. Not only was this a tremendous physical effort by Lynch, there was also excellence in the read against an overly aggressive Arizona front, the critical initial blocking by diminutive Seahawks WR Paul Richardson against an overloaded box, and extraordinary downfield effort by Seattle WR Ricard Lockette.”

Chatham credits the downfield blocking of Seattle’s receivers — as well as Lynch’s near-superhuman ability to read blocks several seconds ahead — with turning a nice gain into an unforgettable highlight.