BIG GAME 2017 | PLAYERS TO WATCH
Super Bowl Sleepers
I
f you want to uncover a Super Bowl sleeper in Houston, look no
further than the wide receiving units of each team. The big game
looks to be a shootout and could come down to who has the ball first.
This means that a big play
by an open wide receiver
could make the difference in
who is crowned champion of
the NFL. Mohamed Sanu
(Falcons) and Chris Hogan
(Patriots) could very well be
these receivers to break the
game open.
After crucial performances
throughout the season and
during their respective con-
ference title wins, Sanu and
Hogan proved themselves
worthy of the big stage.
SANU
Sanu spent his first four
seasons with the Cincinnati
Bengals, who drafted him in
the third round of the 2012
draft. After he played into a
reputation as being a solid
No. 2 wide receiver behind
superstar A.J. Green, he joined
the Falcons under a similar
role behind Julio Jones.
Thanks in part to the atten-
tion Jones demands from
opposing defenses, Sanu
caught 59 passes for 653 yards
and four touchdowns this sea-
son. He also has come up big
in the postseason, helping
Atlanta cruise to its two home
victories.
The biggest play of Sanu’s
season may have come in the
NFC championship game
against the Green Bay
Packers. On the Falcons’ first
drive of the game, quarter-
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playoff record in the AFC
championship game against
the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The former lacrosse player
from Penn State who played
just one season of football at
Monmouth University caught
HOGAN
nine of his 12 targets for 180
On New England’s side of
the ball, Hogan set a franchise yards — an all-time postsea-
back Matt Ryan flipped a
2-yard pass to Sanu, who
caught the ball with his right
hand and fell to the ground
for a touchdown.
son high for the franchise. He
also came down with two
touchdowns to punch the
Patriots’ Super Bowl ticket.
Hogan caught passes of 16,
26, 22, 34, 24, and 39 yards —
including a touchdown catch
in which the Steelers left him
uncovered in the back of the
end zone. His other score
came on a flea-flicker, show-
ing the wide receiver’s ability
to get behind defenses for big
plays.
No matter who comes out
on top Super Bowl Sunday,
Sanu and Hogan will likely
play big roles.