Rex Burkhead Poised For Big Game Vs Titans
BOSTON (CBS) -- A quick scan of the Patriots' roster shows that the weapons at Tom Brady's disposal are arguably the best he's ever had in his career.
Rob Gronkowski, who when healthy is the best tight end in NFL history, put together a solid season. Brandin Cooks, one of the most accomplished young receivers in NFL history, turned in a 1,000-yard, seven-touchdown season in his first year in New England. And in terms of receivers out of the backfield, the trio of James White, Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead combined to catch 118 passes for 897 yards and nine touchdowns this season.
And that's without even mentioning Danny Amendola (61 catches for 659 yards) and Chris Hogan (439 receiving yards and five touchdowns in nine games played).
Clearly, Brady has a deep arsenal at his disposal. As for which player might shine brightest on Saturday night against the Titans, WBZ-TV's Levan Reid said he likes Burkhead's chances.
"I think you're going to have to give Dion Lewis a little bit of a spell," Reid said of Lewis, who ran the ball 63 times and caught 12 passes over the final three weeks of the regular season. "Rex, before he got hurt, he was kind of banging around and getting his job done. So I think now that you want to make those numbers go up, those short passes to Rex, and then you can make Dion Lewis a traditional running back and hand the ball off."
Burkhead was on fire in Weeks 12-15, when in four games he rushed for five touchdowns and caught one touchdown. He gained 226 yards combined on 34 rushes and 11 receptions. A knee injury kept him out of the team's final two regular-season games, but the running back is at full health for the playoffs.
Watch the video above to find out which Titans player might have a big game, what to expect from Tom Brady, and which teams will end up in the AFC Championship Game.
Tune in to Saturday night's Patriots-Titans AFC Divisional Round game on WBZ-TV — the flagship station of the New England Patriots. Coverage begins with a special Patriots GameDay at 7pm, and after the game stick with WBZ-TV for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!
