:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/606023/20120930_lbm_af5_278.0.jpg)
Marshawn Lynch has lived up to his "Beast Mode" moniker since Week 9 of the 2011 season, leading the league in rushing from that time forward. He's drawn high praise from opponents on nearly every team the Seattle Seahawks have faced over that stretch, and it's for good reason -- he's produced.
The numbers tell the story. Lynch has 423 rushing yards on 92 carries through four games in 2012, good enough for a 4.6 yards per carry average. Only Arian Foster of the Houston Texans has carried the ball more (103 carries). Over the same stretch, Lynch is second in the NFC in total yards from scrimmage with 473 and third in the league behind Jamaal Charles (512) and Ray Rice (491).
"He's a ferocious competitor and he's got extraordinary explosion -- he explodes off of tackles," Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told Seahawks.com. "And he's so strong. You notice how he runs with his feet part. He's got such an amazing base that he doesn't get knocked down easily. He just doesn't go down easily."
For a back like Lynch who doesn't blow anyone away with outstanding size or speed, it's the explosiveness and the way he runs that has carried him to these great heights as a runner. He'll take the same killer instinct into Carolina on Sunday as Seahawks visit the Carolina Panthers.