Marshawn Lynch broke Ray Lewis' ankles with unreal juke in 2011

Whilst there have always been running backs that have given opposing defences nightmares across NFL history, none of them were quite as unique as Marshawn Lynch.

Today (April 22, 2022) marks his 36th birthday, and what better way to celebrate it than by bringing back one of the most underrated plays from his playing career. 

A graduate of the Cal Golden Bears football programme, Lynch was a problem coming out of college because of his perfect combination of strength and speed, clocking sub 4.5 seconds in his 40-yard dash despite weighing 215 lbs. 

That effectiveness was shown right out of the gate as he broke the 1,000-yard rushing mark in both of his first two seasons in the league, having been taken in the first round by the Buffalo Bills. 

But it wasn’t until Lynch got to Seattle that he started to gain national attention.

It all started with his ‘beast quake’ run against the New Orleans Saints during the 2011 Wild Card round of the playoffs, where his ability to shake off would-be tacklers was on full display. 

After that he became something of an NFL icon as a result of some of his incredible plays and barreling touchdown runs. 

His entertaining personality also helped ingratiate him into the hearts and minds of NFL fans, from his love of Skittles to his now-famous catchphrase of ‘I’m just here so I won’t get fined’. 

But sometimes it wasn’t his power that could get him through people, sometimes his speed helped him out too, as this clip from a 2011 game against the Baltimore Ravens demonstrates. 

Taking the ball out of the backfield from quarterback Tavaris Jackson, Lynch sidesteps Ray Lewis, sending him crashing into his teammate Jarret Johnson, allowing him to pick up the first down and pretty much ice the game.