In lashing the Giantsfor 350 rushing yards in Sunday's 38-17 romp over New York, the Seahawks did more than set a franchise record: They got back to basics.
Big Blue could do nothing to stop Marshawn Lynch from rumbling for 140 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, while quarterback Russell Wilson added another 107 yards on a rash of designed runs that kept the defense guessing.
We have plenty of questions about Seattle's "totally random" passing attack, but wideout Doug Baldwin couldn't be happier about the team returning to its roots.
"We were getting into a rhythm," Baldwin said, per The News Tribune, "feeling what it's like to play Seahawks football again."
Amid whispers that Seattle's locker room has been agitated with play-caller Darrell Bevell for wandering away from the team's ground-and-pound ethos, Lynch has emerged to run with renewed power over the past two weeks. With many wondering if this might be the running back's final go-around with the team, safety Earl Thomas told reporters Sunday: "I never want him to leave."
"He's our backbone," said guard Alvin Bailey. "Couldn't imagine our offense without him. The way he runs, that's our attitude, what we feed off."
The Seahawks aren't nearly as potent through the air, where they miss tight end Zach Miller and departed targets Percy Harvin and Golden Tate. But Lynch's handiwork on the ground directly opened up lanes for Wilson, who repeatedly scampered for chunk yardage against a bewildered New York defense.
As NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah said on NFL NOW, the two-pronged approach of Wilson and Lynch on the ground returns the Seahawks to what they do best.
"They're capable of getting back to where they were last year," Jeremiah said. "But if they're going to get back there, it goes through No. 24."
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps every Week 10 game from an action-packed Sunday. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
