In Sunday's conference championship games, the Packers, Seahawks, Patriots and Colts will fight for spots in the Super Bowl. Here's a look at the Super players who can make the biggest difference for their teams:
NFC Championship Game: Green Bay at Seattle, 3:05 p.m. (EST)
Key players for the Packers: Clay Matthews, A.J. Hawk, Sam Barrington and Julius Peppers, step right up.
If Green Bay’s linebacking corps doesn’t attack the gaps up front and stop Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch in his tracks, not much else will matter in this rematch from Week 1. In that game, Lynch was in full Beast Mode, rushing for 110 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, causing Seattle defensive end Michael Bennett to question the Packers' toughness. Said Bennett, after that 36-16 Seattle victory: “Obviously, we were the more physical team today, offensively and defensively. I saw supposedly some of the best players in the league not want to tackle Marshawn Lynch. Of course, nobody is going to say nothing about that, but I seen a lot of guys whiff on tackles that should have been 2-yard gains, and they’re supposed to be the best.”
The Seahawks ran for a league-best 172.6 yards per game in 2014, and Lynch scored 17 TDs, so their first option is always to run. The Packers, meanwhile gave up 123 yards to Dallas’ DeMarco Murray last week and were the 23rd-ranked rushing D in the league. If the Pack wants to pull off the upset, the linebacking corps will need to have a big day.
Key player for the Seahawks: Safety Kam Chancellor.
The Seattle strong safety is coming off a huge game against Carolina and will be crucial against a very dangerous Packers offense. Seattle’s D did a nice job against Packers running back Eddie Lacy in their Week 1 meeting, holding him to 34 yards on 12 carries. But since Week 5, Lacy has been a much different player. In last week’s win over Dallas, Lacy ran for 101 yards. He ran for 1,139 this season and has picked up more than 95 yards in six of his past seven games.
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Chancellor sets the tone for the Legion of Boom, and some big stops on Lacy early – plus his help in the secondary against Aaron Rodgers – is what the Seahawks need.
AFC Championship Game: Indianapolis at New England, 6:40 p.m. (EST)
Key player for the Colts: Quarterback Andrew Luck. No surprise here.
The young Colts quarterback has been the driving force all season for Indy, leading the NFL with 40 TD passes this season, and was terrific in beating the Broncos last week in Denver, throwing for two TDs and 265 yards, while adding 21 yards on the ground. But since Luck’s rookie year of 2012, the Pats have held him in check. That can’t happen Sunday if the Colts want to get to the Super Bowl.
Luck is 0-3 vs. New England and has poor numbers against Bill Belichick’s D: eight interceptions vs. six TD passes and a 67.7 passer rating. In those games, the Pats have outscored the Colts 144-66. Earlier this season, the Pats beat the Colts 42-20. Says Luck: “I’d like to think I’m a better quarterback and would like to think we’re a better team.” He’ll have to prove it Sunday.
Key player for the Patriots -- Running back LeGarrette Blount.
Quarterback Tom Brady runs the offense and tight end Rob Gronkowski opens up the field for Brady to operate, but it’s Blount, a 250-pound battering ram, who could pulverize the Colts. The last time these teams met in the playoffs, just last January, Blount ran for 166 yards and four TDs. If Blount again can establish his big presence early, the Colts will be forced to marshal their forces to stop the run – and that’s when Brady would be able to get even more opportunities for big plays.
The Colts' run defense has been better in recent games, having allowed 198 yards rushing in their two playoff victories (the 99.0 yard average is the best among the four teams playing Sunday). But obviously, the Pats’ game-planners see deficiencies in the Indy run defense. In their past three wins over the Colts, New England has run the ball nearly 56 percent of the time, according to Bill Barnwell of Grantland. Against the rest of the league over the past three years, the Pats run the ball just 41 percent of the time. Expect another heavy diet of handoffs to Blount & Co. Sunday.
