Super Bowl 2012: Projecting the Impact of the New York Giants' WRs

The New York Giants have a trio of talented wide receivers, two of whom ended the regular season in the top 15 in receiving yards.

With the team set to face the New England Patriots and their 31st-ranked pass defense in the Super Bowl, there is no doubt that the Giants' receiving corps is going to have a huge impact on the game.

Out of seemingly nowhere, Victor Cruz has emerged as one of the Giants' most dangerous offensive players. He had zero catches in 2010, but in 2011 rose to No. 2 on the depth chart after stepping in for an injured Mario Manningham.

In the regular season, Cruz had 82 receptions for 1,536 yards and nine scores. In the postseason, he had just 28 receiving yards against the Atlanta Falcons, but his production increased in the following two games, with 74 yards against the Green Bay Packers and a whopping 142 yards on 10 receptions against the San Francisco 49ers.

All of Cruz's yards against San Francisco came in the first half; in the second half of the game, they switched corners and also put a safety on him, effectively shutting him down.

If the Patriots have to commit that much coverage on Cruz in the Super Bowl, then they're going to find themselves burned by the Giants' other two receivers.

However, he suffered a shoulder injury late in the NFC Championship Game. Depending on the severity, Cruz might be limited at the Super Bowl. He has two weeks to recover, however, and should be at full health by the time February rolls around.

If Cruz is held to less than five catches though, then that likely means a big day for fellow receiver Hakeem Nicks.

Nicks is also nursing a shoulder injury that should be fully healed by the Super Bowl, which is good news for a team that is going to need his playmaking abilities.

In 2011, Nicks caught 76 passes for 1,192 yards and seven touchdowns and has been on fire in the postseason, catching six passes for 155 yards and two scores in the team's wild card win over the Falcons, seven receptions for 165 yards and two more touchdowns against the Packers and five catches for 55 yards against the Niners and their physical defense.

Nicks is in a great position to have the biggest day of any of the Giants' receivers in the Super Bowl. He should be targeted no fewer than 10 times against the Patriots and could easily notch well over 100 receiving yards and a pair of scores.

The aforementioned Manningham saw his production drop after losing his spot on the depth chart to Cruz, but he still is an impact player for the Giants, scoring a touchdown in each of their three playoff games.

Against the Patriots and their poor secondary, however, Manningham's numbers should be higher. He should get his customary five targets but will have a better chance than usual to make something big out of them.

In the regular season, the Patriots gave up nearly 80 yards per game to No. 3 receivers, and he should come close to that number of yards in the Super Bowl. Whether or not Manningham has a touchdown will depend on what he can gain on yards after the catch; I don't see him being a consistent end-zone target for quarterback Eli Manning in this game.

In total, New York's three receivers should combine for as many as 350 yards but no fewer than 300 against the Patriots' struggling secondary. They should account for at least three of their team's touchdowns as well.

A high-performing receiving corps is the best weapon a team can have when facing the Patriots this year, and it's clear the Giants have just that.

If all three can put up the kinds of numbers they did in both the regular season and the playoffs, the Patriots are going to struggle mightily to stop the trio of playmakers in this year's Super Bowl.