Marshawn Lynch's case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame

For a four-year stretch, Beast Mode was the best offensive player in the game.

It began with a quake and ended with a huge mistake.

Over a four-season span with Seattle, Marshawn Lynch was the best player on arguably the best team, and in many ways — whether Roger Goodell liked it or not — the face of the NFL.

Riding momentum from his Beast Quake run in the playoffs against the Saints, Lynch put together one of the best stretches in the history of NFL running backs. From 2011-14, the Oakland native had the most touchdowns (56) and rushing yards (5,357) in the NFL, and scored 14 more rushing touchdowns (48) than any other back.

Lynch’s self-described “run-through-a-mother******-face” style synced perfectly with Seattle’s smash-mouth Legion of Boom defense, and the Seahawks rolled to a Super Bowl victory over the Broncos following the 2013 season. Lynch rushed for 288 yards and four touchdowns in the three-game postseason jaunt, staking his claim as one of the most prolific postseason threats in NFL history.

It was the following year’s Super Bowl, however, that will be remembered for one of the biggest coaching gaffes in football history. Lynch ran for 157 yards in the NFC title game, and had more than 100 in the Super Bowl when the Seahawks sat on the Patriots’ 1-yard line, trailing 28-24 with 26 seconds remaining.

Instead of giving the ball to Lynch, Seattle head coach Pete Carroll called for a pass. Russell Wilson’s quick slant was intercepted, and Seattle fans were left wondering if they were one more Beast Mode plunge from back-to-back championships.

While other running backs have compiled more yards and touchdowns over four-season spans, Lynch’s stretch stacks up well with some of the greats.

Numbers alone, Lynch’s Hall of Fame credentials are debatable. The top 14 HOF-eligible rushing leaders are enshrined in Canton (Adrian Peterson is still active and Frank Gore will be eligible in 2025), but none of the seven rushers directly ahead of Lynch (who ranks 29th) are in the Hall of Fame.

Lynch, perhaps the premier goal-line back of his era, stacks up better on the all-time rushing touchdown list, where he ranks 16th. Of the 14 HOF-eligible backs ahead of Lynch, 12 are enshrined in Canton.

When evaluating Lynch’s credentials, it’s hard to ignore comparisons to Gore, the 49ers great drafted two years earlier. Gore seems to be a HOF lock, amassing the third-most rushing yards in NFL history.

While Gore was one of the sturdiest backs in NFL history over 16 seasons, totaling 1,282 more carries than Lynch, the 49ers great never won a Super Bowl. Each player made five Pro Bowls, but only Lynch earned a first-team All-Pro (2012) selection. Gore never rushed for more than 10 TDs, while Lynch did it four consecutive seasons.

So what is Lynch’s Hall of Fame comparison? No other back was showered with Skittles. Or went hyphy on sidelines. Or grabbed his junk diving into the end zone.

Earl Campbell comes to mind because of his jaw-dropping highlights. Larry Csonka and John Riggins were power backs who didn’t threaten any all-time records but produced meaningful yards in meaningful games.

It’s Lynch’s “Fame” more than the his figures that defines one of the most beloved backs of all time. When fans watch the game’s greatest plays, they will see Lynch tossing aside Tracy Porter, dragging defenses into end zones and blowing up 300-pound linemen. When Super Bowl LXIX is discussed, it will be about who didn’t get the ball in the final seconds. And when future ball-carriers explode down the field, sending shockwaves through stadiums, they will have entered “Beast Mode.”