Most things went right for the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday as they trounced the Chicago Bears 26-0. The offense finally decided to involve their most talented pass catcher, targeting tight-end Jimmy Graham eight times. He caught seven balls, racking up 83 yards and a touchdown. Rookie Tyler Lockett continued to look like a sexy stud as he returned a kick 105 yards for an electrifying special-teams score, sending Hawks D/ST fantasy owners into a frothy frenzy. And they won a game, getting back on the left side of the win loss column at long last.
Some bad things happened as well as defensive tackle Brandon Mebane injured his groin and not in a fun “that was a crazy night” kind of way, and didn’t return to the game. Star running back Marshawn Lynch also left the game at the half due to a hamstring injury. Lynch was questionable coming into the game with a different ailment. His calf was acting up and he spent the first quarter in the clubhouse before joining his teammates on the sidelines. With Lynch down, the Seattle offense turned to undrafted free agent rookie Thomas Rawls to carry the load. Rawls responded by scampering for 104 yards on 16 carries averaging six and half yards per touch against the Bears defense. While Chicago’s defense is nothing to write home about, going over 100 yards against professional football defenders is a big deal. So who is Thomas Rawls?
The recently 22-year old Rawls grew up in Flint, Michigan, a town usually known for the auto industry and controversial documentarian Michael Moore. He played his high school football at Flint Northern. He was a beast of a player, racking up nearly 1,600 yards and 19 touchdowns during his senior year, a season that saw him rush for 358 yards and six scores in a single game.
Rawls had fairly productive collegiate career that saw him began at the University of Michigan before transferring to Central Michigan in January of 2013. Rawls finished the 2014 season with 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns even though he only appeared in seven games due to injury and suspension that stemmed from a minor larceny incident. The incident in question could have played a part in him going undrafted in the 2015 NFL draft, and he signed with the Seahawks on May 18, 2015, just two weeks after the draft concluded.
During the preseason, Rawls impressed the Seahawks coaches averaging 5.2 yards per carry. They were impressed enough that they traded away Johnny Cash’s favorite football player (I would imagine), the disappointing Christine Michael to Dallas and waived injured Robert Turbin. Rawls had the staff confident that he and recently acquired veteran Fred Jackson would be sufficient backups to starter Lynch.
The most eye-catching thing about Rawls’ production on Sunday was that he accomplished all of that behind what is probably one of the worst offensive lines in football. Lynch makes up for it with his ability to run people over and keep his legs churning to generate yardage, but few running backs have shown to have the ability that he does, which is what makes Rawls’ performance so exciting and intriguing.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that Lynch is “50-50” to play on Monday night against a Detroit Lions team that is giving up an average of 103 rushing yards a game so far this year. Those numbers are a little skewed as they were gashed by Adrian Peterson and the Vikings for 199 yards. If Lynch is unable to go for Monday’s national stage prime-time contest it will be interesting to see if Rawls can repeat his dynamic rushing attack once again. And with Marshawn Lynch’s status seemingly in flux from year to year, it’s nice to know their might a young suitable replacement already in house.
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