This Super Bowl features one high-powered offense versus another rugged defense. So when you look at the receiving corps for each, there’s certainly a superior team.
The New England Patriots don’t even have that good of a receiving corps, but it’s good enough to top the Seattle Seahawks’ group. Could it be enough to beat Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman and the Legion of Boom? That remains to be seen.
For now, let’s break down these two groups of receivers, including tight ends.
New England Patriots
The Patriots are lead by quarterback Tom Brady, who makes every receiver around him much better than he is. Such is the case with this team, with the exception being Rob Gronkowski.
The other receivers are almost as underwhelming as the Seahawks can boast. Julian Edelman leads the group that includes the oft-injured Danny Amendola and Brandon LaFell. Edelman and LaFell broke 900 yards receiving and combined for 11 touchdowns, while Amendola managed 200 yards and one touchdown.
Brady makes every receiver useful, and this stretches to running backs as well. Shane Vereen is his main target out of the backfield, catching 52 passes for 447 yards during the regular season. He’ll definitely be used in the Super Bowl and can be a threat if the Seahawks don’t get to Brady quick enough.
Then there’s Gronkowski, who is one of the top targets in all of football. There’s simply no easy way to defend the 6’ 6” tight end who caught 12 touchdown passes this season. He commands attention and will be a factor regardless of how well the Seahawks do against him.
Still, however good these receivers are, it all boils down to Brady.
Seattle Seahawks
If this were the 2013-14 Seahawks, it would be a discussion as to which receiving corps is stronger. However, the loss of Percy Harvin and Golden Tate have certainly contributed to the Seahawks being less dynamic in the pass game.
The 27th-ranked pass offense is led by Doug Baldwin, who caught 66 passes for 825 yards and three passes. He’s been a solid receiver for Russell Wilson, but he would sit fourth on the Patriots roster statistically.
Lately, Wilson has been finding tight end Luke Willson is tense situations. He’s turning into a safety valve for Wilson after tallying 362 yards and three touchdowns during the regular season. He could certainly play a big role in this game, especially if Darrelle Revis shuts Baldwin down.
Also, don’t sleep on Marshawn Lynch out of the backfield. He finished fourth on the team with 367 yards and led with four receiving touchdowns. He isn’t a speedy back, but as we all know, he’ll break tackles with the best of them.
Just like the Patriots run game is vital to their success, Wilson and his pass offense need to get going early if the Seahawks want to have a chance in this game. With no Harvin or Tate, he can’t depend on any one receiver to take over in this game.