Marshawn Lynch hasn't posted 100-plus yards on the ground since the season opener, but Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell found another way to use his featured back in Sunday's win over the Raiders.
Lynch churned out a season-high 76 yards through the air off five catches, helping to offset the troubles of a passing attack held to just 177 yards -- its second lowest output of the year -- against Oakland. Facing a waterfall of injuries along the offensive line, quarterback Russell Wilson spent plenty of Sunday on the run, one reason Bevell tapped Lynch as a safety valve through the air.
"We want to use our good players," Bevell said this week, per The Seattle Times. "And he's definitely, probably the best player on our offense and we want to get him the ball as many ways as we can."
NFL Media's Albert Breer wrote last month that a pocket of Seahawks players were openly campaigning for a "return to the team's downhill-running ethos" after trading away Percy Harvin before Week 7.
Seattle's rushing yardage per game has actually dipped since trading Harvin -- from 149.8 yards per outing to 146.3 -- but it's impressive the team is still at those figures with all the injuries up front. Lynch ran hard against Oakland, but he accounted for just 67 yards. Getting him into space as a pass-catcher is the next best thing.
The Seahawks overcame injuries on the O-line last year, too, but they were down to the bare bones on Sunday. Choosing to lean on Lynch and his 143 total yards tells us that Bevell hasn't forgotten about his most dangerous weapon.
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