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Most of the talk about the Super Bowl LV matchup will involve Tom Brady vs. Patrick Mahomes. One man has been the best quarterback for the last two decades, and the other one is on the verge of taking his place.
But the skill position players on the outside, the guys who run the routes and catch the passes, will have a huge say on who ultimately lifts the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the game.
Kansas City Chiefs
As Raiders coach Jon Gruden once put it, the Chiefs wide receivers make you defend every single blade of grass. This team is loaded with speed, and chief among the Kansas City wide receivers is Tyreek Hill.
When the Chiefs and Buccaneers played the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the Bucs tried to cover Hill one-on-one. He went off for 269 yards and three touchdowns. The three-time All-Pro has 58 total touchdowns in five seasons; 19 of them 50 yards or longer
Online sportsbooks have Hill at +700 to score the Super Bowl's first touchdown.
The next most dangerous weapon is tight end Travis Kelce, who broke the record for most receiving yards by a tight end in 2020 and now has two of three most prolific seasons ever for a tight end. He is also the only tight end in NFL history with five straight 1,000-yard seasons.
One man missing is No. 2 wide receiver Sammy Watkins. He has spent a large part of the season injured and has just 421 yards.
But during Kansas City's Super Bowl run last year, he was integral to their success, going for 114 yards in the AFC Championship Game and another 98 in the Super Bowl.
Watkins has been dealing with a calf injury, and the Chiefs hope to have him back.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It's been seven seasons in Tampa Bay for wide receiver Mike Evans, and he has seven seasons over 1,000 yards receiving. He's been named to three Pro Bowls, and now with Brady throwing him the ball, he is playing in his first-ever postseason and first-ever Super Bowl.
Evans doesn't have the same flash as the Chiefs' Hill, but he is as clear a No. 1 wide receiver as you will find in the NFL.
Also at wide receiver is the speedy Chris Godwin, who actually averaged more yards per game than Evans and with a better catch rate. In the first game against the Chiefs, he caught eight passes for 97 yards.
According to online betting oddsmakers, Evans is tied with Chris Godwin as the two Buc receivers most likely to win the Super Bowl MVP, paying +3800. Antonio Brown comes in at +7000.
Also having a big game against the Chiefs was tight end Rob Gronkowski (also +7000), with six catches for 106 yards. It was easily Gronkowski's best game of the season. In his previous game against Kansas City, the 2018 AFC Championship Game, he had six catches for 79 yards.
The one question mark is Brown, who missed the NFC Championship Game on Sunday with a knee injury. However, the Buccaneers are confident that he will be ready by Super Bowl Sunday.
