The Seattle Seahawks were 7-9 and in the playoffs following the 2010 regular season as NFC West champs. You know, like the Washington Football Team this season as rulers of the NFC East.
The New Orleans Saints visited Seattle on Jan. 8, 2011, and they probably still don’t know what hit them.
Marshawn Lynch went “Beast Quake” on the Saints as Seattle stunned New Orleans and the football universe.
The 67-yard run is one of the most memorable in playoff history — of any round — and Seattle went on to a 41-36 victory.
With their base offense on the field, the Seahawks called “17 Power,” a power run, for the first time in the game. Seattle lined up in an I formation with tight end Carlson on the left and fullback Michael Robinson offset to the left.
Lynch rushed between right guard Mike Gibson and Robinson, finding an unblocked Scott Shanle at the line of scrimmage. If Shanle had completed the tackle here, he would have limited Lynch to a 2-yard gain.
Instead, Lynch bounced away from Shanle’s tackle, while also running through the grasp of Sedrick Ellis and Will Smith. As Lynch broke through the line, Ayodele and Saints safety Darren Sharper simultaneously dove to pull Lynch down as he ran past them but were unsuccessful. Jabari Greer then caught up with Lynch from behind and tried to wrap him up but could not hang on.
Lynch then angled toward the right sideline, pursued by Tracy Porter, who was shoved to the ground with a stiff arm. Alex Brown lunged for Lynch’s heels but fell short. Finally, Roman Harper, being blocked by Tyler Polumbus, attempted one last diving tackle inside the 5-yard line, but he too was unsuccessful. Already celebrating, Lynch leaped backward into the end zone, with his right arm holding the ball aloft and his left hand grabbing his crotch, for the touchdown.
The best of BeastMode in the #NFLPlayoffs. @MoneyLynch
📺: #LARvsSEA— Saturday 4:40pm ET on FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app pic.twitter.com/Gq79upH5Ln— NFL Throwback (@nflthrowback) January 5, 2021
Overall, Lynch rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown for Seattle, who had not had a 100-yard rusher in any of their regular-season games.
