Baltimore, which features one of the league's best pass defenses, will surely be looking to shut down Tom Brady and his talented group of receivers. That, of course, is much easier said than done, as very few teams have been able to keep the New England offense at bay this season.
The Pats feature a number of weapons in their offense, which could create plenty of matchup problems for the Ravens' defense. That means John Harbaugh will have his work cut out for him when it comes to developing a game plan throughout the week.
Welker once again led the NFL in receptions this season with 122. He also racked up 1,569 yards — good for second in the league — and nine touchdowns. He can cause havoc any week, but he's especially dangerous if the focus turns to New England's talented tight end duo.
Deion Branch is no slouch himself. The veteran wideout caught 51 balls for 702 yards during the regular season, while also reeling in five TDs.
Then, as mentioned, there's the potent tight end tandem of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.
Gronkowski put together a historic regular season with 90 catches for 1,327 yards and 18 touchdowns (17 receiving, one rushing), then acted like he wasn't satisfied in Saturday's divisional round game against the Broncos. Gronk finished with 10 catches for 145 yards and three scores, showing once again that he's hands-down the best tight end in the NFL.
Hernandez, meanwhile, put together quite the game himself. He finished with four catches for 55 yards and a touchdown, while also running the ball five times for 61 yards. During the regular season, he caught 79 passes for 910 yards and seven touchdowns.
Brady obviously has plenty of options, meaning anyone could go off on a given week. Who's it going to be this week?
Which Patriots receiver will have the best performance against the Ravens?
