Week 1- Ravens/Jets: Who Has The Better Receiving Core?

The opening Monday night game of the season between the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets is a battle between two good teams. Yet, the better battle will be the matchup of receivers on each side, as both teams have some major weapons.

Both teams will probably use their running game a lot with Ray Rice and Willis McGahee on the Ravens side, and LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene on the Jets side.

But, focusing on which team has the better crop of receivers, let's break down the talent on each side. The Jets probably have the better group long-term, but not for this particular game with Santonio Holmes under suspension.

New York does have three guys though who can make some plays in his absence. Look for a huge season and game out of tight end Dustin Keller. He made big plays for Mark Sanchez in the playoffs last season, especially in the Divisional Round game against the Chargers.

Keller is probably the Jets best third-down receiver, making short pass plays to move the chains. You can project Keller, if healthy, to have an 80-catch, 1,000-yard season. He'll probably be the Jets go-to guy in Holmes' absence.

Then there's wide receiver Braylon Edwards. The contining saga of dropped passes, rather than clutch catches, is what hurts his reputation. Although he averaged over 15 yards per catch in 2009 between the Browns and Jets, his drops hurt both teams on long pass plays.

He's very talented, and if he learns how to consistently catch the football, could be a huge part of the Jets passing game. But, how he performed at times last season certainly decreases Sanchez's confidence in him. It'll be interesting to see how many targets Edwards gets in Monday night's game.

Sanchez's other option is Jerricho Cotchery. As the veteran receiver of the group, he's probably the most clutch. If you match up Cotchery along with the newest Raven Anquan Boldin, they're very similar players. Both are playmakers and can make catches all over the field.

The Ravens also have the very dangerous Derrick Mason. He went for over 1,000 receiving yards last season, and caught seven touchdown passes at the age of 35.

The Ravens just recently signed T.J. Houshmandzadeh who had a decent season for Seattle last year and can be compared to Dustin Keller, although he has gone on to have a great career, something Keller hopes to do.

With all of that being said, you'd have to say the Ravens have a slight receiving edge right now for two reasons. As already mentioned, Santonio Holmes will not be playing in this game, and Braylon Edwards is inconsistent.

Once Holmes returns from suspension in week five, they'd at least even up with Baltimore.

While the running game may be more important in this matchup, if it came down to the passing game, the Ravens have the slight edge.