Cowboys spotlight: Lynch resets ‘Beast Mode’ on Seahawks’ running game

Height: 5-11 Weight: 215

Season: 9th College: California

Strengths: Lynch runs violently, making him tough to bring down. He never takes a down off, fighting for every yard and showing power and determination on every carry. Lynch went into "Beast Mode," his nickname, in a 2010 playoff game against the New Orleans Saints, refusing to go down on a 67-yard touchdown run. His powerful, relentless style wears down opponents. He averages 3.0 per carry in the first half this season and 4.9 in the second half. He averages only 3.1 yards on his first 10 carries and then goes to 4.7 on carries 11-20. He is a tough blocker and a solid receiver, with 249 career catches for 1,960 yards and nine touchdowns.

Weaknesses: Lynch would rather run over defenders than try to avoid them. That physical, downhill style of running has added a lot of wear and tear to his body. Lynch, 29, missed two games this season with a hamstring injury. He does not have elite speed, and thus will not break a lot of long runs. His longest run this season is 24 yards, his only carry of 20 or more yards. In his career, only 45 of his 2,115 carries have gone for 20 or more yards.

Last game: He had his first 100-yard game of the season in the Seahawks’ 20-3 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, gaining 122 yards and scoring a touchdown on 27 carries.

Who has to stop him? The Cowboys rank ninth in run defense. They have allowed more than 100 yards rushing in each of the past four games, all losses. But they have allowed only one individual 100-yard rusher: Atlanta’s Devonta Freeman had 141 rushing yards against the Cowboys in Week 3.

Notable: Lynch was the 12th overall pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2007. … Since the Seahawks acquired Lynch in a trade with the Bills on Oct. 5, 2010, Lynch has 1,428 carries for 6,234 yards and 56 touchdowns. … The Seahawks have 18 consecutive games with 100 or more team rushing yards. … For his career, Lynch has 2,115 carries for 8,999 yards and 73 touchdowns.

This story was originally published October 27, 2015 at 6:40 PM with the headline "Cowboys spotlight: Lynch resets ‘Beast Mode’ on Seahawks’ running game."