Marshawn Lynch’s first game back after spending a year in retirement showed that he’s still got plenty of gas left in the tank, and that he’s going to be fun this season. It ended with a Raiders 26-16 win on the road.
Marshawn Lynch reminded us why we missed him in his 1st game with the Raiders
Lynch gave us a little bit of everything in his NFL return
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Lynch’s return came with runs, antics, and emotion we’re used to seeing out of him. He finished the game with 18 carries for 76 yards, as well as one reception for 16 yards. It wasn’t a spectacular game or anything, but it was a good performance for somebody who took an entire season off.
We knew that playing for the Raiders was going to bring the very best out of Lynch, and it was nice to see it all together.
He’s still running like a bully.
Lynch ran with the same bruising style that we grew to love over the course of his career — particularly when he was in Seattle. His first run since returning showed his finesse, patience, and power.
There’s also no other player in the NFL that can make a 1-yard run look this impressive. Lynch was nearly tackled three yards behind the line of scrimmage, before he made a defender miss, and dragged another with him for a first down on 4th and 1.
Oh, and he trucked Jurrell Casey like it was nothing. Casey stands at 6’1, 305 pounds, and Lynch made him look like he was half that size.
When things weren’t perfect, he was.
Even when things didn’t go exactly the way the Raiders wanted, Lynch was still out there having fun. Look at this graceful flip he did after a miscommunication between him and Carr:
It’s not uncommon to see players visibly upset after a play like that. It could have been a nice gain for the Raiders who were locked into a tight game at the time. But Lynch shook it off with the flip, and the Raiders were able to handle their business the rest of the way.
ATTITUDE.
In the fourth quarter, BeastMode let Titans’ defensive end Karl Klug let him know what he thought of whatever banter was had between the two.
Postgame press conferences are still an event
Lynch wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to get fined, so he interrupted Jack Del Rio’s presser. “I was available for 3 minutes,” Lynch says in the background. “They didn’t holler at me. I’m good, right?”
It’s good to have BeastMode back. It was one week, but if we can expect the same of this throughout, the Raiders will be a must-watch team.
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