The Seahawks intend to hammer away with bruising running back Marshawn Lynch and the opponent hardly matters because even good run defenses have trouble stopping it.
The Falcons, suspect against run because of injuries and poor execution, were no match for Lynch in a 33-10 defeat at the Georgia Dome Sunday.
Lynch rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown on just 24 carries as Seattle gained 211 yards on the ground.
“He’s a great running back, there’s no doubt about that,” Falcons defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux said. “He’s been that for years. You have to gang tackle him. My hat’s off to him. They are a great football team.”
As usual, Lynch gained plenty of yards through extraordinary effort. At times he kept surging as multiple Falcons defenders tried to stop him.
Atlanta’s offense struggled to sustain drives, leaving its defense on the field to wrestle with Lynch for extended periods. Eventually Falcons defenders seemed to wear down from the effort.
“I think Marshawn definitely sets the tempo for us, that’s just how he is,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “He has been playing so consistently. He is our guy and we are counting on him.”
It wasn’t just Lynch who hurt the Falcons running the ball. Rookie Christine Michael, Seattle’s third-string running back, had 33 yards on eight carries. Shifty quarterback Russell Wilson rushed for 20 yards on three attempts.
Lynch was involved in two key plays that deflated the Falcons in the second quarter.
After Matt Bryant kicked a 53-yard field goal to cut Atlanta’s deficit to 6-3, Lynch broke free for a 37-yard run to set up a first down at Atlanta’s 43-yard line. On the next play, he took a hand off from Wilson and started to run around left end.
But Lynch stopped and threw a lateral pass back to Wilson. He launched a pass in the end zone to Jermaine Kearse, who twisted to make the catch as safety Thomas DeCoud closed on the play.
“Plays like that always give teams motivation to keep going,” Falcons safety William Moore said. “We could have made that play. That’s a play we’ve got to stop. We can’t give up explosive plays.”
Lynch helped snuff out any hopes of a Falcons comeback with some punishing runs on Seattle’s final touchdown drive. He rushed for 46 yards on the 12-play drive, including two runs of 13 yards each, and capped it with a one-yard touchdown scamper around left end.
By that point, Atlanta’s tired defenders couldn’t corral Lynch.
“It’s definitely disappointing,” Falcons linebacker Paul Worrilow said. “We lost and he had a big game (with) huge explosive, plays.”
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