SEATTLE -- Before Pete Carroll exited the locker room Saturday night, he made a stop at Thomas Rawls' locker.

The Seattle Seahawks' second-year running back still had his uniform pants on and had yet to shower. It was about 9 p.m. local time, and most of his teammates had already left the stadium.

Rawls, though, sat alone with his thoughts. He had reason to move slowly after carrying 27 times for 161 yards in his team's 26-6 win over the Detroit Lions.

"Feeling every bit of those carries right now," Rawls said later.

Carroll knelt down, wrapped his right arm around Rawls' neck and gave him a hug. This was what the Seahawks had been waiting for -- a return to the identity that has made them so successful for the past five years. An identity that has been missing for much of the season.

"That's the game we've been looking for," Carroll said.

The Seahawks will go to Atlanta next week as underdogs against the Falcons. They are a flawed team and have plenty of obstacles to overcome if they're going to make a Super Bowl run. But what had players and coaches excited following Saturday's win was that the formula they have come to count on again seems available.

During the regular season, the Seahawks averaged 3.95 yards per carry as a team, which ranked 24th in the NFL. They had 18 different players notch a carry and were unable to find any kind of consistency in the run game during their first season without Marshawn Lynch on the roster.

But against the Lions, Rawls spun by defenders and ran through would-be tacklers all game long. He looked like the same player who led the NFL with a yards per carry average of 5.65 as a rookie last season.

"It opens up everything for us," wide receiver Doug Baldwin said. "I've told you guys before that everything runs through our run game. When Thomas Rawls is doing that, they can't help but put another safety in the box, and then that gives us one-on-one matchups on the outside."

Rawls worked all offseason to rehab from a broken ankle. Then in Week 2, he suffered a fibula injury and missed seven games.

It had been a frustrating sophomore campaign in which he averaged only 3.20 YPC. But when the Seahawks needed him, he came up big, breaking Lynch's franchise record for rushing yards in a postseason game.

"It means a lot," Rawls said. "Marshawn Lynch? I looked up to him. I still do. I still communicate with him. I still talk to him. Just over time, I reminisce back when I was younger, just watching him, man, hopefully one day. And that day is now. I'm kind of lost for words."

Rawls spoke slowly and with an uncommon intensity. It felt as if his words could have easily been part of a pregame or halftime speech in the locker room.

"When you're in the backfield and you're a runner, you have to have a whole different level of toughness," he said. "Sometimes you have to leave your mind and your body. Sometimes, nothing matters but that play. Every time, every play. Just keep pounding. Then I think it is who can last the longest. Can you truly endure that much pain? Because everybody out there is hurting. Who is the last one to give up?"

Rawls' performance has the Seahawks feeling good going into next Saturday's matchup with the Falcons. Atlanta ranked 27th in defensive efficiency during the regular season and 29th against the run.

The Seahawks have flaws for sure, and one victory over the Lions is not going to erase them. The defense played well against Detroit but has struggled previously without safety Earl Thomas. And now Seattle has to face Matt Ryan and the Falcons' high-powered offense.

But suddenly, the Seahawks have a realistic formula for success that includes running the ball with Rawls and keeping Ryan off the field.

Russell Wilson completed 23 of 30 passes for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Paul Richardson provided a spark with three catches for 48 yards and a touchdown.

And Baldwin was brilliant, catching 11 of 12 targets for 104 yards and a score.

Rawls was injured in Week 14 last season and didn't get to play in the postseason. His first playoff performance was an all timer. Now Rawls has to prove he can do it again.

"I'll do whatever I have to do to contribute to this team," Rawls said. "I want a championship. I've been waiting my whole life for this. I wasn't here last year. I broke my ankle. I was sitting on the couch. I had my leg up. I told myself, when I got to this point, oh man, I'd do whatever I have to do for it."