FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Preparing for the the New England Patriots’ offense is a nightmare.

On any given week, you don’t know who is going to get the ball, who is going to be Tom Brady’s top target.

Certainly, running back LeGarrette Blount is going to get his carries and wide receiver Julian Edelman is going to be targeted.

They did lead the team in rushing (Blount, with 1,161 yards and a team-record 18 touchdowns) and receiving (Edelman with 98 catches for 1,106 yards), but they had plenty of help.

Running backs James White and Dion Lewis present different challenges than Blount, but are no less important in their roles.

Wide receivers Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola, rookie Malcolm Mitchell and newcomer Michael Floyd can each be dangerous in their own ways.

And tight end Martellus Bennett, who took on a much larger role when Rob Gronkowski underwent back surgery, has been a huge contributor in his blocking and receiving.

“It’s awesome, it really is,” said backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who started the first two games of the season while Tom Brady was serving his four-game suspension. “It makes us just that much more difficult to prepare for. You don’t know which back is going to be in there, which receiver, which tight end.

“They can all do a million different things. It’s a comforting feeling as a quarterback. It makes your job easier.”

And it will make the Atlanta Falcons’ job that much more difficult when the teams meet next Sunday at the Super Bowl in Houston.

The Falcons will face one of the most balanced offenses the Patriots have put together in a decade. New England was ranked fourth overall offensively in the NFL, gaining 386.3 yards per game. They were ranked fourth in passing offense (269.3 yards) and seventh in rushing (117 yards).

New England hadn’t been that balanced since the 2012 team that was ranked first overall offensively (427.9 yards), fourth in passing (291.4) and seventh in rushing (136.5). That team lost to Baltimore in the AFC championship game. The 2007 Patriots who took an 18-0 record into the Super Bowl came close, ranking first overall (411.3 yards) and passing (295.7) but 13th in rushing (115.6).

Most impressive might be how Brady – along with Garoppolo and rookie Jacoby Brissett, who started two games when Garoppolo was injured – spreads the ball around. Six players caught at least 25 passes; nine players caught touchdown passes.

In last week’s 36-17 AFC championship game victory over Pittsburgh, it was Hogan who stepped up with nine catches for a Patriots postseason record 180 yards and two touchdowns.

The Steelers effectively clogged New England’s running game, limiting it to 57 yards on 27 rushes, so Brady threw 42 times for a Patriots postseason-record 384 yards and three touchdowns.

“Our offense is really unselfish,” said Blount. We want to win games, we don’t care who wins it, we don’t care how we win it.

“We just want to make sure we do everything we can to put ourselves in that position, no matter if it’s Tom throwing it 45 times, or if it’s me carrying it 25 times, or if it’s (Edelman) catching it 10 times or if it’s (Hogan). We’re not going to complain about anybody (else) getting the football.”

New England is always at its best when it diversifies the offense.

The 2001 Super Bowl champs had nine players catching touchdown passes. Antowain Smith rushed for 12 touchdowns and 1,157 yards.

The 2003 team had six players with at least 25 catches and eight grabbing touchdown passes. Smith scored nine rushing touchdowns.

The 2004 team, likewise, had six players with at least 25 catches but 10 scored on touchdown passes. Corey Dillon rushed for 1,635 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The 2014 team had six players with at least 25 catches with seven catching TD passes. Jonas Gray led the rushing game with only 412 yards, but New England scored 13 rushing touchdowns.

With the Patriots, it’s never about individual stats. And they seek players who share that attitude.

“I’ve always been a guy who just takes advantage of his opportunities,” said Hogan, who signed as a free agent during the offseason from Buffalo.

“If the ball comes my way twice or the ball comes my way nine times, it doesn’t matter. I’m not a stat guy.”

White, who caught 60 passes this year (second behind Edelman), said everyone shares in the success.

“Everybody wants to be a viable option but nobody cares who has the most catches, who carries the ball. We just want to go out and get a victory.”

Amendola, who caught 23 passes this year, said this team is all about getting better, no matter who gets the credit.

“We just have a lot of unselfish guys who want to help the other guys be successful,” he said. “That’s really it.”

Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or:

mlowe@pressherald.com

Twitter: MikeLowePPH