Brady Owes Them

If Tom Brady reaches the 5,000 yard passing mark he will be forever grateful to his receivers who lead the league in yards after the catch (YAC).

Going into the finale, Brady has 4,897 yards of which 2,483 have come after the reception. This has often resulted in big plays and first downs. The Saints trails the Pats with 2,295 YAC.

The Pats have three receivers among the top twenty leaders with Wes Welker 1st with 736, Rob Gronkowski 2nd (644) and Aaron Hernandez 20th (431).

This statistic can never be underestimated in its importance. Coach Belichick has often cited it as being very crucial to keeping the offense on the field.

Without his three core receivers, Brady never has a chance at 5,000 yards.