Vince Wilfork: Marshawn Lynch is best RB we’ve faced

By Evan Massey | Jan 27, 2015

Dec 28, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) participates in pre game warmups against the St. Louis Rams at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

New England Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork said that Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch is the best RB that they have faced this year.

Vince Wilfork has been one of the key pieces on the New England Patriots’ defense for years, and he is heading to yet another Super Bowl this season. The Patriots have seen Tom Brady and the offense take off throughout the second half of the season, and the defense stopped Andrew Luck and the Colts’ top passing offense to just seven points.

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Facing the Seattle offense is going to be a completely different “Beast,” literally, as they will have to stop running back Marshawn Lynch. Lynch was a terror for the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game, and the Patriots’ ninth-best rush defense in the league will have to figure out a way to slow him down.

Against Green Bay, Lynch was the biggest reason the Seahawks were able to pull off a miraculous late-game comeback to advance to Super Bowl XLIX. He ran all over the Packers’ defense for 157 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. New England is going to have their hands full, and Wilfork knows that.

“Hands down, I think he’s the best,” Wilfork said. “He’s proving it in the passing game, running game, blocking, you name it. I don’t think there is any other running back out there that has that many explosive runs, yards after contact. He is exactly what his name is called: Beast Mode. It seems like when the fourth quarter hits, he hits another gear.”

New England has the pieces to slow him down, but they are going to have to flock to the football when it’s in his hands and gang tackle him. Lynch is a complete running back and he fears no one, and is more than happy to run through contact rather than around it.

Seattle’s offense is going to rely heavily on Lynch, with Russell Wilson using the defense’s focus on the run to make a big play here and there through the air. The balance of the run and pass makes the Seahawks a very dangerous team, and will force the Patriots to be on their toes.

Keeping Lynch from gaining steam through the middle is another key for the Patriots, and they need to do everything they can to force him outside. If they allow him to gain steam running down field, then they are going to be in trouble.

That being said, the biggest stage in football is close at hand and Lynch lives for big moments. He is the most dominant running back in the NFL, and the Patriots know that he is the key if they want to take home another championship. It is going to be a very entertaining game, and both teams are going to leave everything they have on the field in Arizona.

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