December iv, 2017

  • Paul GutierrezESPN Staff Author

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    • Covered Oakland Raiders for CSNBayArea.com and Sacramento Bee for eight years
    • Fellow member of Pro Football game Writers Clan
    • Previously worked at Los Angeles Times, Las Vegas Review-Periodical and Sports Illustrated

OAKLAND -- Marshawn Lynch threw a juke move that rivaled the i that lost Landon Collins earlier in the 24-hour interval on the Oakland Raiders running back'south 20-yard catch and run.

Surrounded by a gaggle of reporters at his locker, Lynch repeated, over and over again, "My young life did it," when asked about his 51-yard touchdown run, before zigging when the encroaching media zagged.

Lynch grabbed the notice taped to his locker and showed information technology to the horde. It was a discover for Lynch to study to a collection surface area immediately to give a specimen considering he was selected for a random drug exam.

"I'm sorry, though, look," Lynch said, property upwards the paper. "It's either this, or that, and I can't afford that. I apologize. Only if you do not understand what this is, it's when you put your ding-ding sauce out and give them a sample."

And with that, the enigmatic Lynch was off, avoiding questions as deftly every bit he did New York Giants defenders all mean solar day long in the Raiders' 24-17 victory that pulled them into a three-way tie for kickoff identify in the AFC West with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers at 6-6.

Lynch, whose quotes in his prime are the stuff of legend, is besides rounding into shape on the field every bit the Raiders enter the quarter-pole of the flavour.

Indeed, this was the Lynch the Raiders were hoping to larn when they traded for the retired back last offseason. The mind-blowing 51-thousand touchdown upwardly the gut set the tone on Oakland'southward third offensive play from scrimmage. The Animal Convulse-similar 20-yard grab and run non simply lost Collins but took a few other Giants for the ride to help close out the game late in the quaternary quarter. And his 101 yards rushing marked the commencement fourth dimension he broke the century mark since Oct. 22, 2015, for the Seattle Seahawks at the San Francisco 49ers.

"He'due south a do-it-all guy," said Raiders linebacker Bruce Irvin, who played with an in-his-prime Lynch in Seattle. "Run the ball, catch it out the backfield, block. He'southward finally getting his legs back underneath him, and it's showing. Y'all can tell."

NaVorro Bowman has a unlike perspective, given that he went up confronting Lynch at the tiptop of the Seahawks-49ers rivalry before this decade.

"I looked at the stats," Bowman said. "I said, 'Oh, he's however got it.' To see him running the mode that he's running for and then many years, I know exactly what that defence force is facing. That's a hard tackle."

Running back DeAndre Washington agreed.

"He's getting stronger as the season goes on," Washington said. "With more than carries, he is just getting stronger. It'southward difficult to tackle that man for 4 quarters, you know what I'chiliad saying? He is going to wear you downwardly, regardless if he is getting two yards or the 50-yarder like he busted today. He is going to wear guys down, and at this bespeak in the flavour, nosotros are really going to need him."

Lynch, coming off his one-year retirement, got a sabbatical of his own in serving a i-game suspension in Week 8 for making contact with an official.

He has rushed for more yards in four games since (292, on 68 carries for a four.3 yards-per-try average) than he did in his previous eight games combined (266 yards, on 72 carries for a iii.7 boilerplate). He at present also has iv touchdowns in his past 4 games.

"We talk almost it all the time -- the run game is my best friend," said Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. "Whenever we can just get that going and have the run game rolling like that -- any quarterback loves that. If you lot can hand the brawl, under four minutes, three times in a row and merely go a first down, that's a lot less pressure on the quarterback and the receivers. I don't know a quarterback that wouldn't want that.

"Really, Marshawn is just taking over. Today he had 100 yards, which is crawly. Anytime yous can practise that, the ball is in your easily. Someday you can run the ball efficiently, you're moving the chain -- and so that just helps us in the pass-game element of it."