The referees pissed off Marshawn Lynch, unleashing the best kind of Marshawn Lynch

Marshawn Lynch is playing mad in Week 4. Or, at least, madder than normal.

The Raiders’ tailback had what looked like a monster gain cut short after just six yards when officials ruled his forward progress had stopped and blew the play dead a half-second too early. It didn’t take long for Lynch to express his displeasure with the call, punting the ball (sorta) out of frustration letting the referees know just how he felt about the whistle.

But Lynch let that early dismissal serve as his motivator. His next rush was a 12-yard gain up the left side in a very similar play as the one that had been prematurely blown dead. His subsequent touch was a 17-yard reception that carried Oakland into the red zone. That set up an 8-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr to Amari Cooper that cut Cleveland’s lead to 17-14.

Prior to the whistle, Lynch had five carries for 8 yards. Since then, he’s only gotten the ball three times — but gained 35 yards on those plays, not counting the potential overage he would have gotten if not for a premature whistle. The Raiders, still looking for the first win of their season (and first win in Jon Gruden’s second go-round with the team), would be wise to dial up his number as long as he’s running angry.

He’s still got another half to seethe about having a big run stripped away from him — and that could be bad news for a Browns team looking for its first winning record since 2014.

Update:

Lynch’s pre- and during-whistle stats: six carries, 14 yards. 0 catches, 0 yards.
Lynch’s post-whistle stats: 14 carries, 116 yards. Three catches, 27 yards.

Yep, pissed-off Marshawn Lynch is also incredibly good Marshawn Lynch.