Denver Broncos 5 to Watch: Marshawn Lynch

Andrew Mason (Independent Columnist) DenverBroncos.com

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- As Marshawn Lynch goes, so go the Seahawks.

Since he joined the team five weeks into the 2010 season, he has played all but one game. In the 65 games (including playoffs) he's participated, the connection between his performance and that of the Seahawks is clear. Productive performance from Lynch turns an average ledger into one of the league's best -- the eighth-best record overall since he joined the team.

The Seahawks are …
11-1 when Lynch rushes for at least 120 yards, and 29-24 when he doesn't;
10-4 when he averages at least 5.5 yards per carry, and 30-21 when he doesn't;

+Seattle Seahawks #BeastMode RB,
Marshawn Lynch

9-0 when he scores at least two touchdowns and 28-10 when he scores at least once, and 12-15 when he doesn't score at all;
13-1 when he touches the football at least 25 times, and 27-24 when he doesn't, although this is misleading, as his touches are most often connected to the game situation.

The difference is stark in the postseason: when Lynch breaks the century mark in the playoffs, the Seahawks are undefeated, punctuated by his memorable performance in a wild-card stunner over the defending champion Saints there years ago. When he was held in check by the Bears a week later and the Falcons two years later, Seattle lost.

Lynch has recently earned more attention for his reticence at talking to the media, a marketable nickname ("Beast Mode") for which he owns licensing rights and his voracious consumption of Skittles than his actual running, and that's a shame. a

But he should be getting attention for his continued excellence -- and his persistent ability to avoid being brought down. According to ProFootballFocus.com, no running back created more missed tackles in 2013 than Lynch, who was credited with 75 on his 301 carries in the regular season. Lynch was second in the league in this statistic in 2011 and 2012, forcing over 50 missed tackles each season.

But the Broncos may be in position to stop Lynch. No one had more success at defusing Lynch in 2013 than the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, mostly because their defensive line, particularly their young tackles, was strong enough to win its share of one-on-one duels at the line of scrimmage.

Terrance Knighton may play an even bigger role in Super Bowl XLVIII than he did against the Patriots. Either he will draw double-teams, which frees up the linebackers to potentially have lanes they can fill, or he can break through to the backfield by winning one-on-ones. As long as Nate Irving, Danny Trevathan and Paris Lenon can be in position to make sound tackles, the Broncos' stout run defense could be the toughest that Lynch has seen in months.

But Lynch might be the toughest running back the Broncos have seen, as well, proving that the Broncos offense-vs.-Seahawks defense duel is not the only strength-vs.-strength matchup lurking on Groundhog Day.

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Broncos Look For Finishing Touch Against Patriots

Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports 9:52 p.m. EST January 14, 2014

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The final moments were the most painful for the Denver Broncos, as a botched punt return led to a game-winning field goal by the New England Patriots late in overtime of the teams' Week 12 meeting Nov. 24. 

Mike Adams of the Broncos Tracks
Shane Vereen of the Patriots in an earlier contest
this year the Patriots won 34-31 in OT at New England

But there were plenty of other moments in that game, a 34-31 win by the Patriots, to which the Broncos will look for lessons as they prepare to host the Patriots on Sunday in the AFC Championship Game.

They haven't forgotten the wacky first half in which they built a 24-0 lead after forcing three turnovers and stifling Tom Brady and the Patriots' offense. And they certainly haven't forgotten how quickly Brady turned the Broncos' seemingly insurmountable lead into a 31-24 deficit by midway through the fourth quarter.

"We just have to learn to put teams away and finish," Denver defensive tackle Terrance Knighton said.

LEADING ROLE: Pats' Edelman is Brady's 'Minitron'

Finish, finish, finish — that will be the mantra at Denver's Dove Valley training facility, because it wasn't just the New England game in which the Broncos faltered after building a lead. It happened again Sunday, when Broncos surrendered 17 fourth-quarter points in their 24-17 divisional-round win against the San Diego Chargers.

"That was a hard lesson learned throughout the year. I thought we've had a couple of those this year. We faced a lot of adversity, and when you look at this week, you have to capitalize and make sure you minimize all mistakes throughout the game," wide receiver Eric Decker said. "We had a couple (against San Diego) — a couple myself. I think those things you have to take a hard look at and make sure you don't let that happen against a good team like New England."

STORY LINES: Five things to watch for in the AFC championship

Decker was referring to several of his own miscues — when he tripped after breaking free on a punt return, when a pass from Peyton Manning bounced off his chest in the end zone and was intercepted just before halftime, and when he dropped a fourth-quarter onside kick. Those types of mistakes, which were embarrassing against Philip Rivers and the Chargers, would be fatal against Brady.

"We didn't finish the game, and we didn't come out with that same fire and that same intensity," safety Mike Adams said.

"We never went back to the sideline. We never settled down. We never said, 'OK, don't worry about it. It's Tom Brady. They're going to score. They're going to get theirs. They're going to make their plays. Let's go. Now, we've got to shut them up. We've got to shut them down a little bit.' And we didn't do that."

There are elements from that first game the Broncos would like to replicate. Defensive players said the first half of that game showed how well the Broncos' defense could play, even if Denver's defense and New England's offense are missing important players.

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski had seven catches for 90 yards and a touchdown in that game. He is now out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Denver cornerback Chris Harris, who sometimes covered Gronkowski, is also out after tearing his ACL against the Chargers. Von Miller, the Broncos' best defensive player, had two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble return for a touchdown in the first meeting, is also on injured reserve with a torn ACL.

It's unclear how the Broncos will fare without Harris, but they are 9-0 in games without Miller this season. Without Gronkowski, the Patriots have discovered a new identity as a power running team.

"Very different. I think he's probably the best tight end in the NFL and that's (Brady's) main target. That's why they're running the ball and they're doing a good job of it," Knighton said.

Copyright USA Today January 2014

Original Link to Article written by Lindsay H. Jones of +USA TODAY Sports