Why Terrance Knighton Is the Denver Broncos' X-Factor in Week 2

Terrance Knighton, fondly known in Denver as Pot Roast, has been making headlines for saying that Ray Rice should be thrown in prison, but those headlines are going to shift back to his play on the field after this Sunday's game, as he is clearly the X-factor in the game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

"

That man should be thrown out the the nfl and thrown into jail. Shame on those deciding his punishment. Smh

— Terrance Knighton (@MrKnighton2u) September 8, 2014"

Knighton is a huge man, coming in at 335 pounds. He's known for using his bulk with unlikely speed to tear up offensive lines and stuff the run. He's the type of guy who can smash the line into the backfield, breaking up the run before it even gets going; even if he doesn't make the tackle, it's that type of penetration that often derails a play.

Going up against Kansas City, destroying the run game has to be the No. 1 goal for the Broncos' defense.

Jamaal Charles is undisputedly one of the top running backs in the National Football League. He's had well over 1,000 yards the last two seasons, and he put up double-digit touchdowns last year. He can also catch the ball out of the backfield; while he's not like a Darren Sproles in that regard, he's certainly good enough to make him a dual threat.

A lot of people were surprised that the Chiefs, a team that stayed undefeated for longer than the Broncos last year, got beat down by Tennessee in the first game of the year. Not only was it in Arrowhead, but the Titans, led by Jake Locker, just didn't look nearly as good on paper. Even if it had been a close game, the expectation was that the Chiefs could handle Tennessee, and they simply couldn't.

People might point to Alex Smith and his three interceptions as the reason for the 26-10 loss, but that's only a small part of the picture. Yes, Smith's interceptions didn't help, but here's the real stat to take home:

Charles got seven carries. He had 19 yards.

It was inexcusable, and it exposed what the Chiefs look like when Charles isn't dominating. If he's running for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns, Smith has a lot more room to operate. Passing lanes open up. There's no pressure on him to make throws that he can't make. That's why he always has a good completion percentage and a low interception rate. Charles is helping him even when he doesn't get the ball, just by being a threat.

The Chiefs are not going to make that mistake twice. Charles is going to get his touches in Denver. He should really see the ball about 20 times. It's going to be up to Denver to contain him and even shut him down, and that's where Knighton comes in.

Kansas City looks overmatched in this game, so the only chance they really have is to slow the game down by running the ball. They need to keep Denver's offense, which is clearly potent even without Wes Welker, on the sidelines. They need to put together long drives that keep the score low. This way, they're always in the game, always within striking distance.

As much as Charles is the key to doing this, Knighton is the key to stopping it. He has to get penetration and he has to decimate that line. He had two tackles last week; he'll at least need to double that in Week 2.

However, it's not even about his personal stats; it's about the way that he can eat up blockers. If he is disruptive, he opens things up for linebackers like Nate Irving to have clear shots at Charles. He makes things easier for them and vastly harder for Charles.

When a running back has to make two guys miss behind the line of scrimmage, he wears out very quickly. Unless you're Barry Sanders—and Charles is no Sanders—you're not taking those runs to the house.

Knighton, who was made a team captain, can lead the way to victory by making sure that Charles is always working side to side, just trying to find some space.

Make him run 20 yards to gain three.

Make him eat plays and go down in the backfield.

Focus on him, trying to hold him to numbers like he had against Tennessee, and it should be an easy victory for Denver.

The other thing about this is that Denver can force Kansas City to play like they did against Tennessee. You must throw when you get down. If Denver can shut Charles down in the first half and let the team get out to a good lead—say 21 points—then it makes Smith put the ball in the air. It takes Charles out of the game without even hitting him because Andy Reid can't afford to call runs.

Then you end up with a Kansas City team with multiple turnovers, which just allows the offense to pile it on even more. Smith is not terrible, but he has absolutely no chance of keeping up with Peyton Manning if it turns into a shootout.

Yes, the Colts came back in the second half against Denver last week, and that wasn't a good thing, but the Chiefs are not the Colts. They don't have Andrew Luck. They don't have Reggie Wayne.

On top of that, it's not like Knighton can't then just shift his power game to focus on the pass. When you know that the Chiefs can't run anymore because of the clock and the score, you can go all out after the passer and force even more mistakes. Here's a perfect example of Knighton doing exactly that against the Colts. It starts out as a triple-team, but this man is a beast, and he just doesn't care:

Denver's defense can dictate the entire game in the first half, all with the way that they play against Charles. And that all starts with the man they call Pot Roast.