ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - His return from off-season knee surgery still a few days away, Knowshon Moreno sauntered over to the sideline one hot August afternoon in training camp. In front of him were two young running backs having trouble picking up first downs and blitzes. Asked who he thought would win the featured role in the Denver Broncos backfield, Moreno nodded and flashed a sneaky smile, then spun back to the trainers room. Enough said. Neither Ronnie Hillman nor Montee Ball would pry the football from his grasp, something nobodys been able to do since Atlanta linebacker Stephen Nicholas stripped him on Sept. 17, 2012, which resulted in Morenos two-month banishment to the scout team. That penance left Moreno determined "if I ever do get that call again" to let neither the opportunity nor the football slip through his grasp again. Willis McGahees injury gave Moreno that shot at redemption, and hes lived up to that pledge ever since: in 479 touches since that fateful fumble against the Falcons, Moreno has gotten up with the football in his hands all 479 times. "He plays this game in a way that I absolutely love because its every bit of who he is, and he gives you every bit of what he has," Broncos running backs coach Eric Studesville said. "Hes so amped up and hyped up before the game because hes so excited for it and then he plays with that intensity and that energy and that effort." Moreno holds nothing back, not even his tears, which were captured by TV cameras during the National Anthem when the Broncos visited Kansas City last month. Moreno said in those moments before kickoff, he reflects on all the good and the bad things that have happened in his life and in football and how much he appreciates the opportunity to play the game. Thats when the tears flow. "Ive always been that way, high school and in college," Moreno said. "I guess its just my thing, you know? I play with my emotions on my sleeve." Moreno has had his share of ups and downs in the NFL. After replacing McGahee in 2012, he ran for 510 yards and three TDs in the final six games but blew out a knee early in Denvers playoff game against Baltimore. Without him, the Broncos were unable to run out the clock in the fourth quarter behind an undersized Hillman, which led to their loss to the Ravens in double-overtime. That prompted the Broncos to draft Ball, the bruising 215-pound Badger who scored an NCAA-record 83 touchdowns at Wisconsin, and Hillman bulked up to 195 pounds in the off-season. While Moreno continued his rehab from his knee injury, Ball and Hillman battled for the No. 1 job but both made too many mistakes to earn the trust of the coaches or Peyton Manning. And while all eyes were on them, Moreno — the Broncos biggest back at 220 pounds — quietly got healthy and brought fresh legs and experience to the equation. This season he became the first running back in team history to top 1,000 yards rushing and 500 receiving, and he scored a career-high 13 TDs. Morenos proficiency at catching the ball out of the backfield proved the best antidote for all the beatings Manning was taking at midseason, when opponents quit defending Denvers record-setting offence with zones in favour of more man coverage, which freed up another pass-rusher to go after the quarterback. Moreno is not only the Broncos best running back at picking up the blitz, but his sure hands keep linebackers busy in coverage or freeze them on play-action, which makes the Broncos, who scored an NFL-record 606 points, all the more dangerous. "He has just been a rock for us back there," said Manning, who praised Morenos uncanny ability to navigate through traffic while also challenging tacklers head on. Moreno has been a pleasant surprise to Manning, who knew what he had in targets Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Wes Welker and Julius Thomas but spent the off-season wondering what he would have with him in the backfield. "You never know coming off an injury, especially that running back position," Manning said. "Hes been a huge part of our offence this year." Morenos biggest game came at New England in November, when he rushed for 244 yards on 37 carries in a game the Broncos lost 34-31 in overtime. The rematch is Sunday when the Broncos (14-3) host the Patriots (13-4) in the AFC championship with the winner heading for the Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium, about an hours drive from Middletown, N.J., where Moreno grew up. Its one more opportunity hes determined not to let slip away. Nate Schmidt Golden Knights Jersey . 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He scored two highlight-reel goals in a three-minute span -- the second on a sideways bicycle kick in the 78th minute -- to give the Whitecaps a 2-2 draw with the Portland Timbers before a crowd of 20,303 at B.Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The following is a list of inactive players for tonights game. DETROIT LIONS AT ATLANTA FALCONS, 9:30 AM (ET) Detroit - RB Reggie Bush, TE Eric Ebron, TE Joseph Fauria, WR Calvin Johnson, QB Kellen Moore, TE Brandon Pettigrew, OT LaAdrian Waddle Atlanta - CB Javier Arenas, DT Jonathan Babineaux, OT Cameron Bradfield, WR Freddie Martino, QB Sean Renfree, OT Jonathan Scott, LB Tyler Starr SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS, 1:00 PM (ET) Seattle - DT Jordan Hill, CB Byron Maxwell, OT Andrew McDonald, TE Zach Miller, C Max Unger, LB Bobby Wagner, WR Bryan Walters Carolina - CB Bene Benwikere, LB Chase Blackburn, WR Philly Brown, G Amini Silatolu, G Trai Turner, RB Fozzy Whittaker, RB DeAngelo Williams HOUSTON TEXANS AT TENNESSEE TITANS, 1:00 PM (ET) Houston - OT Jeff Adams, DB Josh Aubrey, LB Brian Cushing, DB Darryl Morris, WR DeVier Posey, QB Tom Savage, LB Jeff Tarpinian Tennessee - RB Antonio Andrews, WR Kris Durham, TE Richard Gordon, DL DaQuan Jones, CB Coty Sensabaugh, OT Will Svitek, TE Taylor Thompson BALTIMORE RAVENS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS, 1:00 PM (ET) Baltimore - CB Chykie Brown, LB Arthur Brown, DL Chris Canty, TE Owen Daniels, G/C Gino Gradkowski, RB Bernard Pierce, OT Jah Reid Cincinnati - RB Rex Burkhead, DE Will Clarke, WR A.J. Green, OT Tanner Hawkinson, CB Chris Lewis-Harris, LB Rey Maualuga, DT Brandon Thompson MIAMI DOLPHINS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS, 1:00 PM (ET) Miami - OT Jason Fox, TE Harold Hoskins, DT Anthony Johnson, LB Koa Misi, C Shelley Smith, OT Billy Turner, S Jimmy Wilson Jacksonville - CB Alan Ball, DE Andre Branch, WR Mike Brown, RB Storm Johnson, OG Tyler Shatley, CB Peyton Thompson, OT Josh Wells ST. LOUIS RAMS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS, 1:00 PM (ET) St. Louis - S Maurice Alexander, C Tim Barnes, TE Aleex Bayer, CB Janoris Jenkins, CB Trumaine Johnson, QB Case Keenum, DE Ethan Westbrooks Kansas City - WR Donnie Avery, S Eric Berry, OT Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, OL Eric Kush, QB Aaron Murray, CB Chris Owens, DE Damion Square MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, 1:00 PM (ET) Minnesota - DE Scott Crichton, G Vladimir Ducasse, LB Gerald Hodges, FB Zach Line, TE Kyle Rudolph, LB Brandon Watts, G David Yankey Tampa Bay - LB Jonathan Casillas, CB Brandon Dixon, G Kadeem Edwards, QB Mike Kafka, LB Brandon Magee, OT Kevin Pamphile, S Keith Tandy BUFFALO BILLS AT NEW YORK JETS, 1:00 PM (ET) Buffalo - CB Ross Cockrell, WR Marcus Easley, WR Marquise Goodwin, RB Fred Jackson, OT Cyrus Kouandjio, LB Ty Powell, RB Phillip Tanner NY Jets - DT T.dddddddddddd.J. Barnes, G Dakota Dozier, DE IK Enemkpali, OL Wesley Johnson, WR Walter Powell, LB Trevor Reilly, WR Greg Salas CHICAGO BEARS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, 1:00 PM (ET) Chicago - LB Jon Bostic, LB Lance Briggs, S Ahmad Dixon, OT Charles Leno, S Danny McCray, OT Jordan Mills, CB Terrance Mitchell New England - OL Chris Barker, CB Alfonzo Dennard, OT Jordan Devey, WR Aaron Dobson, DB Nate Ebner, OT Cameron Fleming, DE Chandler Jones PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT ARIZONA CARDINALS, 4:05 PM (ET) Philadelphia - QB Matt Barkley, DE Taylor Hart, C Jason Kelce, OT Dennis Kelly, WR Brad Smith, RB Darren Sproles, CB Jaylen Watkins Arizona - LB Glenn Carson, DT Bruce Gaston, LB Thomas Keiser, TE Troy Niklas, DT Alameda Taamu, QB Logan Thomas, G Earl Watford INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS, 4:25 PM (ET) Indianapolis - None Pittsburgh - None OAKLAND RAIDERS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS, 4:25 PM (ET) Oakland - None Cleveland - None GREEN BAY PACKERS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, 8:30 PM (ET) Green Bay - None New Orleans - None ' ' '