Super Bowl Breakdown: Running Backs and Receivers

By: Jesse Larch, Sports Talk Philly editor 

Leading up to the Eagles matchup in Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots Sports Talk Philly and Eagledelphia will compare the personnel of the two teams each day until gameday is here. 

In this edition of our week-long comparison we will look at the running back and receiver groups for both teams. 

New England WRs & TEs | Brandin Cooks, Danny Amendola, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Rob Gronkowski, Dwayne Allen

The Patriots leading receiver this season was tight end Rob Gronkowski who caught 69 passes for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games. 

Brandin Cooks also amassed over 1,000 receiving yards (1,082 to be exact) on five less catches than Gronkowski. Cooks scored seven touchdowns as well. 

Danny Amendola was the third Patriots' receiver with 60 or more receptions during the regular season. Amendola has been red-hot in the playoffs with 18 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns in two games this postseason. 

Chris Hogan lines up outside for New England and caught five touchdowns on 34 catches in just nine games this season. 

No other wide receiver or tight end caught more than 12 passes for the Patriots this season. 

New England RB | Dion Lewis, James White, Rex Burkhead, Mike Gillislee

Ex-Eagle Dion Lewis led all New England players with nine total touchdowns in the regular season. Lewis led the Patriots with 896 rushing yards on 180 carries. 

Rex Burkhead is behind Lewis with 264 rushing yards on just 64 carries, but he converted those 64 carries into five touchdowns. 

James White carried the ball even less than Burkhead, with just 43 carries. White did lead all New England running backs with 56 catches for 429 yards and three touchdowns. 

The Patriots second leading rusher during the regular season was Mike Gillislee who turned 104 carries into 383 yards and five touchdowns, but Gillislee has not received a touch in the playoffs. Gillislee has been rehabbing a knee injury, which might be healed in time for the Super Bowl if the Patriots decide to use him. 

Philadelphia WR & TE | Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins, Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, Trey Burton

The Eagles are led by Zach Ertz's 74 catches and 824 yards, which he accumulated in just 14 games. 

Alshon Jeffery added 57 catches for 789 yards and Nelson Agholor caught 62 passes for 768 yards. The trio is the only group of any team to have three players with eight or more receiving touchdowns. Jeffery led the team with nine. 

The Eagles also got strong support from their secondary group this season. Torrey Smith and Trey Burton combined for 59 catches, 678 yards, and seven touchdowns – five of which came from Burton. 

While the Eagles do not have one dominating player among their receivers, they do a tremendous job of spreading the ball around to open up a defense. That was on display in the Eagles divisional round matchup with the Atlanta Falcons when eight different players caught a pass. 

Philadelphia RB | Jay Ajayi, LeGarrette Blount, Corey Clement

The Eagles do not only share the wealth in the receiving game but also in their rushing attack – and it has resulted in the NFL's third-best running game averaging 132.2 yards per game. 

Led throughout the season by veteran and two-time Super Bowl champion LeGarrette Blount with 766 yards, the group also was aided by the emergence of undrafted rookie free agent Corey Clement. Clement led the team with four rushing touchdowns and added two receiving touchdowns. 

The group got a huge shot in the arm when Howie Roseman acquired Jay Ajayi, one of the premier young running backs in the NFL. Ajayi would go on to lead the Eagles in yards per carry (5.8) and yards per game (58.3) after joining the team. 

The Eagles have three-headed monster at running back that can hurt you at any moment, and the physical nature of their running backs allows the team to run the ball even when it is obvious that the team is going to hand it off. That was obvious in the NFC Championship game when the Eagles rushed for 111 yards against the second best rushing defense in the NFL.  

Edge

The Eagles run the ball exceptionally well, and do a phenomenal job of spreading the touches in the passing game. Unfortunately, there is no one better at spreading the ball around than the New England Patriots. 

The Patriots had tow 1,000-yard receivers and three players with 60 receptions. Two running backs had 100 carries and three had five or more rushing touchdowns. 

Nobody keeps the opposition guessing more than New England. 

The Eagles will have the edge running the ball, but the Patriots' running backs are more dangerous in passing game than the Eagles, with nine receiving touchdowns scored by their running backs this season. 

The Patriots' receivers put up balanced reception numbers and have shown the ability to break open a big play once the ball is in their hands, with two players accumulating 1,000 receiving yards on less than 70 catches. 

The Eagles' receivers score the ball as good as any group in the NFL, with three players finding the end zone at least eight times. Like the Patriots, it is hard ot know which Eagles' receiver will come up with a big game. 

Because of the depth from both sides and the ability of both teams to seamlessly split touches in the passing and rushing game, both the running backs and wide receiver end in a draw.