Pete Carroll indicates Marshawn Lynch will have increased role vs Packers

NFL: San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks

Beast Mode is back, and while his return to Seattle came in improbable fashion, it happened nonetheless.

Injuries to both Chris Carson and CJ Prosise in the team’s Week 16 loss to the Cardinals forced the Seahawks to bring back Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin, and while the two aren’t big yards-per-carry or yards-after-contact guys anymore, they’re still leaders in the locker room. Not only that, their physical, downhill styles make them a force to be reckoned with.

Lynch showed that on his five-yard touchdown run against the Eagles, when he was hit after a short gain, but then kept his legs churning, and carried defenders with him into the end zone. He finished the game with only four carries for 11 yards, but expect him to get more carries in an increased role against the Packers on Sunday.

Head coach Pete Carroll detailed the plan going forward.

“He’s going to play more this week, Carroll said, via ESPN.com. “He’s ready to, and he’s had enough time with us. He feels confident about what he’s doing and the plan. We can get him in and out of there and have those two guys really go at it.”

He also had this to say after the victory over the Eagles.

“Yeah, I think he’s doing great,” Carroll said, via NFL.com. “I’m really excited about it. I want to see him do more now. He’s made it through, again, two games. He felt good last night… And, so, I think we can increase his role and allow him to be a little more active part of it. He does bring an element that we love and it’s that style and that toughness. We saw it on the sidelines when he’s dumping guys out of bounds. We saw it on the goal line when he’s smacking it in the end zone after getting hit on that 3[-yard line] or 4 and still finished it off. But he’s got all those elements that we love, so I think we’ll see more of him in the next couple weeks here.”

That makes sense, given how cold it will likely be in the divisional round showdown at Lambeau Field.

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