The 2015 Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks is one of the better matchups on paper we've had in a while. Both teams appear to be pretty evenly matched. What will decide the game likely won't be a series of big, momentum changing plays, but instead the continued smaller matchups we may not take as much notice of.
Patriots running back Shane Vereen hauled in more balls and racked up more receiving yards than all but four running backs in the NFL this season. His skills out of the backfield as a consistent receiving option will have to be monitored closely by the Seahawks as they have struggled in that area this season.
"Seattle allowed more than 700 receiving yards to running backs this season - 10th most in football," Tim Britton of the Providence Journal wrote. "Washington's Roy Helu, San Francisco's Bruce Miller and St. Louis' Benny Cunningham all had big days receiving out of the backfield against the Seahawks."
One way Seattle can combat this is by sticking middle linebacker Bobby Wagner on Vereen. Wagner missed five games with turf toe this past season but still impressed Seattle enough that talks of a big extension are underway.
"Some of that damage done against the Seahawks by receiving running backs came while linebacker Bobby Wagner was out with injury," Britton continued. "Cunningham's five catches, 46 yards and a touchdown in the Rams' 28-26 win over Seattle was Wagner's first game out with turf toe."
In breaking down the Super Bowl player rankings for this game, ESPN's Mike Sando and Matt Williamson tagged Vereen as the 26th most important player, while Wagner received a No. 12 ranking.
"An excellent receiving threat and a very good runner, Vereen's contract is up after this season," they wrote. "It will be very interesting to see where he lands, as his role could grow quite a bit on a new team...Wagner's return from a toe injury has been key for Seattle this season. The Seahawks allowed 4.5 yards per play, 3.4 yards per carry and a 36 percent conversion rate on third down during the 752 snaps when Wagner was on the field. Opponents averaged 5.1 yards per play, 4.0 yards per carry and 41.7 percent on third down across the 304 snaps when Wagner was off the field. It should add up to a contract extension for Wagner as early as the coming offseason."
