The mystery of Eddie Lacy's quarter-long disappearance in the Green Bay Packers' Divisional Roundvictory has been solved.
Lacy carved up the Dallas Cowboys' defense for 45 yards on seven carries on the opening touchdown drive, only to vanish until the middle of the second quarter.
As it turns out, the Packers' power back was waylaid by an asthma attack brought on by the frigid Wisconsin weather.
"You know your body is good enough to go out and play," Lacy explained, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "But ... you just can't breathe. And it's a breathing thing. It's not something you want to go out and ... risk something bad happening. There's nothing I can do about it. It's a medical condition. I take my inhaler, I do everything I'm supposed to do. When it happens, it happens."
I know the feeling. Playing softball, I have encountered asthma attacks brought on by the heat and humidity of coastal Georgia. It's a feeling not unlike drowning, in which breathing becomes labored to the point of panic.
The only solution is to remain as calm as possible while the inhaler works its magic.
Although Lacy managed just 3 yards from early in the first quarter until halftime, he came back strong in the second half, salting the game away with 63 yards on 11 carries.
The asthma shouldn't be an issue in Seattle's more mild climate next Sunday.
Far fresher than he was at the end of his 2013 Rookie of the Year campaign, Lacy is coming off his 10th consecutive game with 100 or more yards from scrimmage. The Seahawks aren't the only team bringing a smashmouth ground attack into the NFC Championship Game.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps every Divisional Round game and ranks the remaining quarterbacks still standing. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.