"Marshawn Lynch was overcome by the moment. As he tried to describe possibly the greatest touchdown run in Seattle Seahawks history, a few tears began to form at the edges of his eyes.

This was the same man who simply refused to be tackled when he sealed the Seahawks' improbable 41-36 playoff win over the New Orleans Saints with a ferocious and fabulous 67-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter?

A week after screaming, "We are going to the playoffs!" repeatedly in his postgame interview, Lynch seemed humbled Saturday.

"It's something to build off of for next week," he said in a low voice. "It was a pretty good feeling for us all."

Pretty good?

The Seahawks lined up at their own 33-yard line with 3:38 left to play, clinging to a 34-30 lead and desperate to just run the clock out for the upset win.

Facing second down and 10, the Seahawks wanted positive yardage and perhaps a first down. What they got was a highlight that will be played over and over.

The play call was "17 Power." And it hadn't been called once the entire game.

"I don't even know if it was even in the game plan," said right tackle Sean Locklear. "We had called zone plays all game. …

"Everyone just blocked down and he went right over the guard," Locklear said. "That's old-school power football."

And it was perfect for an old-school runner, who doesn't shy away from contact, and instead relishes it.

"Marshawn has the speed, but he'll also run you over," said teammate Craig Terrill. "He's got his own unique style.

Lynch has famously called it "Beast Mode."

Initially the run didn't seem destined for the end zone. Lynch squeezed through a small opening provided by fullback Michael Robinson and the left side of the line and then cut back to the right. He broke the tackle of linebacker Scott Shanle at the line of scrimmage. And then he powered through the tackles of safety Darren Sharper and nose tackle Remi Ayodele.

"The offensive line did a great job with getting me to the secondary and instincts took over for me," Lynch said.

Once in the secondary, Lynch wasn't satisfied."