Answers to the question: Where was Lynch?

A lot of people had questions about Marshawn Lynch’s lack of participation in the game Sunday in San Diego.

Why didn’t he get the ball more? Why wasn’t he in on the Seahawks’ drive at the end of the first half? Why was he walking off the field with a minute left?

Marshawn Lynch leaves the field with a minute left in the game Sunday in San Diego (AP)

Easy answers.

Lynch was held to six carries for 36 yards and four catches for 27 yards because the Hawks had the ball for a mere 17:45 — their worst time of possession since a 6-3 loss to Cleveland in 2011, when they held it for just 17:04.

#Seahawks stat of the day: Seattle's 17 minutes, 45 seconds time of possession matched sixth-lowest in franchise history.

— Seattle Sports 710 (@DDMon710) September 15, 2014

“That had nothing to do with the game plan,” coach Pete Carroll said of Lynch’s limited touches. “That’s just the way this game turned out. That’s the last thing we want to have happen, but the way that it worked that’s just what occurred.”

The FOX announcers, apparently not up to speed on the Seahawks’ personnel groupings, wondered where Lynch was during the touchdown drive at the end of the half. Well, Lynch is not the running back in Seattle’s two-minute offense: Robert Turbin is. And that explains why Turbin was the one who keyed the Hawks’ 69-yard scoring drive.

To the Fox crew and everyone else asking, Turbin is pretty regularly the RB in 2-minute offense, hence Lynch not on the field.

— John Boyle (@johnpboyle) September 14, 2014

Turbin gained 32 yards on a short pass from Russell Wilson, then ran for 10 yards and then scored on a 3-yard swing pass from Wilson. Turbin accounted for 45 yards on that drive, proving he is a great choice to play in the two-minute offense.

“Our two-minute stuff was good; we were very effective there,” Carroll said. “So, as we get the ball on the 11 (on the final possession, trailing 27-21), we think we’ve got a chance to win this football game — three minutes is plenty of time and a couple timeouts.”

Lynch actually was in the game for that final series, getting the ball twice. But once the Hawks failed on fourth down, he walked to the locker room with team medical personnel.

Carroll said his back was “tightening up or something like that.” Lynch has had back problems for years. During the season, in fact, the Hawks typically limit his practice time.

“It’s an ongoing issue for him,” Carroll said. “It has been for years. It’s always something that we are monitoring.”

So, to answer the questions: No, the Hawks didn’t avoid giving Lynch the ball and, no, he did not walk off the field in a huff.