will look at one compelling matchup or comparison each day leading up to XLIX. Today: vs. . Seattle's and New England's each played pivotal roles to help tug their teams into the promised land. With both runners set to star in XLIX, let's take a closer look at these two hard-charging backs: Lynch to the rescue -- again Think back to the middle of October ... Days after failed X-factor , the defending champion go out and to the to fall to 3-3. With the defending champs under fire by football-watchers everywhere, tension inside the building is tangible, with a handful of players openly campaigning for a return to the team's After six weeks of trying to squeeze Harvin into the game plan, the locker room was calling out for its heart and soul: . Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell responded. After just a pair of 20-plus carry performances over his first six starts, Lynch has averaged 18.5 attempts per outing since Week 7, cro sing the 20-tote barrier seven times. We noticed a in his play in romp over the that saw Beast Mode pile up 143 total yards and two rushing touchdowns. Lynch returned the following week to for 140 yards and a career-best four scores off 21 tries. Almost every game since has seen Lynch operate as a difference-maker, especially when it mattered most in January's run to XLIX. Lynch's 157 yards in the was the burning engine behind Seattle's against the . With 120 of those yards coming in the second half, Lynch showed Jermayne Lole Jersey off his hard-charging style by carrying defenders with him for extra yardage. shows a runner who churned his legs with fury, willing Seattle's offense to life. Green Bay's collapse was a multifaceted disaster, but it was Lynch who turned the tide: coach Pete Carroll said after the game, adding: "It's been an extraordinary season that he's put out here, because he's been so consistent for so long and he's been so physically right for so long. ... He looked explosive again. He looked fast. His attitude is always there. He was able to take advantage of space and sometimes no space ... He just would not go down." Lynch has been a highlight machine down the stretch. Who else can do this? The boast a nasty secondary, but their run defense has allowed single-game outputs of 153, 191, 207 and 218 yards this season. After watching the blast New England for 136 yards on the ground two weeks ago, we expect Lynch to see as many as 25 carries . How does Bill Belichick counter? Perhaps as he did in XXXVI against the , concentrating the game plan on running back Marshall Faulk. The went out of their way to attack Faulk whether he had the ball or not, hitting him especially hard on pa s routes. But that was aimed more at disrupting a runner who caught 81 balls out of the backfield in 2000. Lynch isn't used that way, meaning that and friends will have to win their one-on-one matchups to gang tackle this ferocious back at the line. Against a runner Wilfork called , we don't love their chances. Blount returns just in time Two months after the to sed onto the street, the hammer-dropping power back is on his way to the . How does this happen? Only in New England. Belichick has made a cottage industry of bringing back his own players and turning an opponent's trash into treasure. Blount is the latest example. Months after letting the running back walk in free agency, the leaned on Blount to dig a playoff grave for the for the second year in a row. off a whopping 30 carries felt like dj vu all over again after Blount ripped Indy for 166 yards and four scores . The e sentially set the table for Belichick by rarely using Blount behind . Coming to New England before Week 12 with just 65 carries on the year, Blount has given the team a fresh pair of legs. As one of only three backs with 150-plus carries to average 5.0 or more yards per attempt last season, Blount has upped his 4.1 yards per carry with Pittsburgh to 4.7 in seven games with the Pats. Blount is best between the tackles, used to wear down the defense as he was against the . Not unlike Lynch, he's a load to bring down. When Blount finds his rhythm, he houses the power and wheels to crash through defenders for yards after contact. Seattle needs to do a better job than Indy did below to bottle him up in the red zone. The caveat with Blount channels back to Belichick, who might wind up treating , or as his featured runner on Sunday. A suming Blount gets the call, he will find Seattle to be a much stiffer test than the . Defensive end has been a terror this season, ranking third in the NFL against the run at his position, per Pro Football Focus. Fellow linemen and have been effective against backs all season, along with , the sensational linebacker who returned from injury in Week 12 to ignite this front seven. There's also to deal with, one of the hardest-hitting, run-stuffing safeties in all of football. Blount won't walk through this defense. In fact, he'll need to produce the game of his life to even approach the carry count he enjoyed against the . Who's the better player? It's almost not fair. This easily goes to Lynch. Blount has been a nice pickup for a deep backfield, but Belichick is unpredictable. We might see or carry the load. While New England runs an offense that evolves and morphs weekly, Seattle doesn't hide the fact that Lynch is their centerpiece. They march him out there game after game and challenge teams to stop him. Weirdne s often unfolds in the , with unknowns emerging as heroes and goats, but Lynch is a strong bet to lead all players in touches and yards on Sunday. New England has its work cut out. The latest Podcast and tells you whom to trust in XLIX. Find more content on NFL NOW. Jack Endries Jersey