The Fourth Quarter, Starring Marshawn Lynch

Marshawn Lynch had a pretty monstrous game on Sunday. In the NFC Championship game, the Seattle Seahawks’ superstar running back ran for 157 yards and had a 26-yard reception in which he danced masterfully down the sideline. As far as offensive players go, nobody made a bigger contribution than Lynch.

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We know Lynch had a huge day. We also know that the Seahawks couldn’t get anything done for the first three quarters, majestic Jon Ryan touchdown pass excluded. Since the Seahawks did most of their damage in the fourth quarter, it stands to reason that’s when we saw Marshawn at his best. Wouldn’t you know.

Not that Lynch wasn’t driving the Seattle offense all by himself for most of the game. He had six yards in the first quarter, or, if you’d rather, all of the Seahawks’ offensive gains. With the Seahawks still looking for their first first down of the day, Marshawn went out and crafted one from thin air with second quarter runs of five, three, and fourteen, all in a row. Up to that point no other Seahawk had moved the ball forward. Lynch then added another yard, giving him 29 yards rushing on the half. Not great for him, but a definite majority of the Seahawks’ total yardage at that point.

He got going in the third quarter, providing a nice preview of what was to come. He had five carries for 34 yards, though his last two touches were for one and negative one. Three times Russell Wilson gave him the ball, and each time he came up with a first down conversion. Lynch, at this point, has 63 yards with one quarter to go. The Seahawks are losing by a couple scores, and fans are resigned to defeat.

Green Bay opened the fourth quarter with a field goal drive that took nearly five minutes off the clock, making it a 19-7 game. Seattle then drove to the 50 before having to punt, riding on the strength of Lynch rushes of 13 and 11 yards. Wilson couldn’t finish the drive, and the Seahawks punted. The Packers recovered the football with 6:53 to play and a twelve-point lead.

Next came a Green Bay three-and-out, followed by Russell’s first-play interception that seemed to seal the deal, at least emotionally speaking. But the Pack went three-and-out again, giving Seattle the ball on their own 31 with 3:52 to play.

The drive began with Lynch breaking through for 14 yards. Russell then found Doug Baldwin for 20 yards. Then Marshawn came in acting downright heroic, catching a deep pass right at the edge of the playing field. He danced down the sideline, fighting his own momentum to stay in bounds. The ruling on the field was a 35 yard touchdown run, but replay showed that Lynch did indeed let the side of his foot clip the line. Even after being brought back it was still a 26 yard completion. That drive, of course, ended with a touchdown.

January 18, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) celebrates with wide receiver Ricardo Lockette (83) and wide receiver Doug Baldwin (89) after scoring a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the second half in the NFC Championship game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

From here on out is when the game started to border on impossible. There was the onside kick recovery, after which Lynch rushed for three yards. Then the two minute warning, then Luke Willson finally caught one, and then the Beast broke free. With a minute and a half left to play, Marshawn did what only Marshawn could have done: tore through the entire Packers defense, finding holes or simply making them en route to the go-ahead touchdown. In seconds, Seattle had taken the unlikeliest of leads.

In the fourth quarter alone, Marshawn Lynch generated 95 yards of offense. His team was playing as bad as they ever have, the deficit was growing larger, and the time clock was running down. Didn’t matter to Lynch, who just picked the whole city of Seattle up and threw it over his shoulder. Without Beast Mode the Seahawks probably lose 19-7. Instead we get to talk about how we just witnessed something that shouldn’t even be possible.

Never mind, of course, the eight additional yards that Lynch picked up in overtime. The Seahawks, for three-and-a-half quarters, played more like the Jaguars then themselves. Marshawn Lynch made up for it, almost all by himself. In a game that threatened to be defined by career-worsts, Lynch decided it was a good time for what you might even call a career-best. He put the team on his back and ran his way to the Super Bowl.

Nobody knows what’s next for Marshawn Lynch. Maybe he sticks around, maybe he plays somewhere else, or maybe he retires. He’s sure as hell not going to tell us, if he even knows himself. All we know is that we definitely get at least one more chance to watch him in a Seahawks uniform, and it’s going to be in Super Bowl XLIX. And for that, we have him to thank.