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The Eagles couldn't hold back receiver Wes Welker; he finished with 13 catches for 149 yards. (Barry Chin/Globe Staff) |
FOXBOROUGH - After an evening in which the Patriots came within a couple of plays of losing to a mediocre Eagles team, needing a comeback to extend their winning streak to 11 games this season, there were more than a few moments that could be dissected, and perhaps criticized, by the Patriots staff. Few of those plays involved Wes Welker. But that didn't prevent Welker from taking responsibility, nitpicking through his career performance - and making his case for some tossing and turning.
"A few plays I feel like I left out there," Welker said after the Patriots beat the Eagles, 31-28, last night at Gillette Stadium. "I won't be able to sleep tonight because of those. But, you know, it's something we can get better with, and do a better job next time."
He might be the only one - outside of coach Bill Belichick maybe - who got that impression after his monster game against the Eagles.
By the time Omar Gaither broke up the pass from Tom Brady intended for Welker in the back of the end zone midway through the fourth quarter, Welker already had had quite a night for himself.
And, though Laurence Maroney took the touchdown glory from the receiver, scoring on the next play, Welker still had a few career highs during the evening. On the winning touchdown drive alone he converted three first downs. One came on first down, one on second down, and a third, a critical 16-yard reception on third and 9 from the Eagles' 30-yard line, brought the Patriots new life and, eventually, a score.
What might not have been the most spectacular catch of the 13-reception, 149-yard outing might have been the most important. The scintillating third-quarter play came on a screen pass to the right on which Stephen Neal made a terrific block to spring Welker for 42 yards; he was stopped 4 yards shy of the end zone. That series, though, ended with a missed 32-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski, points that were badly needed near the end of the game.
"Those are tough," Welker said of plays on which he has to wait for blocks. "You've just got to trust the offensive linemen getting out there. They do a great job on screens and things. You've just got to have that patience to stay behind them. In some situations you've got to go, but I felt like in that situation I could get behind them and get a solid block."
Though his first five receptions all went for fewer than 10 yards, six of his final eight were for 10 yards or more. That included the three catches in the key fourth-quarter drive, for 13, 16, and 10 yards.
"Any time you get man-to-man coverage, especially on certain routes, you're really looking to exploit that and try and get open," Welker said. And that was what he got.
He looked perfectly comfortable coming over the middle, the position from which he once had tortured the Patriots. Last night, though, it was the Eagles with the unenviable - and clearly quite difficult - job of containing Welker. It wasn't always the defense's finest hour. Welker added that the Eagles failed to make significant changes to the way they covered him as the game wore on. And he certainly wasn't complaining.
After entering last night's game already having bested his career high, set last season with the Dolphins, by one catch, Welker served notice that his stats were going to continue getting a bump this season. He now has 81 receptions in 11 games, for 878 yards, putting some nice round numbers well within reach. That's what a high-powered offense can do for a player. Or, perhaps, that's what Welker can add to a high-powered offense.
While Brady doesn't have the security blanket of Troy Brown, currently on the physically unable to perform list, he does have Welker. Brady compared the two last night, saying both have "great quickness, great awareness."
And the ability to get open and make that crucial catch. Not that Belichick would divulge anything about the game plan that led to the featuring of Welker.
"It just all depends on the coverages that they play," Belichick said. "Just try to get the ball to the open guy. That was Wes tonight.
"Tom does a great job of that, trying to get the ball to the receiver that has the best chance, the best leverage on the coverage, and sometimes that was Wes tonight. We did a good job."
Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com.
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
