Fifteen years ago today, the Seattle Seahawks stunned the defending Super Bowl champions with a Marshawn Lynch touchdown run so violent it shook the stadium and entered NFL history, according to league and seismic records.
The moment, now known as the “Beast Quake,” came late in the fourth quarter of an NFC wild-card playoff game on Jan. 8, 2011, between the Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints.
Lynch, nicknamed “Beast Mode,” broke nine tackles on a 67-yard run to seal a 41–36 Seahawks victory and trigger a measurable seismic tremor near the stadium.
The BeastQuake happened in a Wild Card upset 15 years ago today. (Jan. 8, 2011)
— NFL (@NFL) January 8, 2026
still very awesome btw pic.twitter.com/FRPtPas2ee
Underdogs at home
Seattle entered the playoffs with a 7–9 record after winning the NFC West, becoming the first team with a losing record to reach the postseason since 1982.
New Orleans arrived as the fifth seed at 11–5, having beaten Seattle 34–19 earlier that season.
Despite early mistakes that put the Seahawks in a hole, Seattle led 24–20 at halftime and extended the margin to 31–20 on the opening drive of the second half.
The Saints later cut the lead to four points, setting the stage for one of the most memorable plays in league history.
"Just a little baby stiff arm."
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) January 8, 2026
"Uh oh, it might be trouble"@MoneyLynch breaking down the Beast Quake will never get old 😂 pic.twitter.com/KSqKKtWS2Z
The play
With 3:38 remaining and Seattle protecting a 34–30 lead, the Seahawks faced second-and-10 at their own 33-yard line.
On a power run called “17 Power,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck motioned a receiver to shift the formation, and the offense lined up to the left with an I formation.
The Saints crowded the line with eight defenders.
The blocking scheme broke down almost immediately, leaving Lynch facing unblocked defenders near the line of scrimmage.
What followed was a violent, balance-defying run.
Lynch bounced off linebacker Scott Shanle, ran through contact from multiple defenders, and shrugged off tackle attempts by Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter.
Near the goal line, Lynch stiff-armed Porter to the turf, slipped past a final diving attempt, and leapt backward into the end zone to complete the touchdown.
The aftermath
New Orleans answered with a late touchdown pass from Drew Brees, but a failed two-point conversion kept the Seahawks ahead.
Seattle recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock to secure the upset.
The crowd reaction was so intense that a nearby Pacific Northwest Seismic Network station recorded a magnitude 2.0 tremor centered at the stadium, then known as Qwest Field.
The moment quickly became known as the “Beast Quake.”
The win capped a strong home season for Seattle and marked the franchise’s first playoff victory since 2007.
The Seahawks would go on to lose to the Bears the following week.
A lasting ripple
In 2012, the NFL revealed the Saints had operated a bounty program during that era, including the Seahawks playoff game, naming several Seattle players as alleged targets.
Lynch later produced a similar highlight in 2014 with a 79-yard touchdown run against Arizona, often referred to as “Beast Quake 2.0.”
The original Beast Quake has since become a benchmark for crowd-induced seismic activity in Seattle.
Fans later generated “RaveQuakes” during Sounders matches at Lumen Field, and a larger “Swift Quake” was recorded during Taylor Swift’s 2023 Eras Tour shows.
During the 2025 Mariners postseason run, seismometers at T-Mobile Park measured even stronger crowd reactions.
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