Life Without Welker: Pats Lose Wideout And Game

Not the way you want to end your regular season going into the playoffs.

This game was bizarre to say the least.

Bill Belichick plays Tom Brady who was being held together with band-aids and bubble gum.

He lets Faulk, Maroney (probably benched), Warren, Bodden, and Wilfork rest.

Welker, who has been throwing his body across the middle for 14 games, doesn’t get any R and R (military term for rest and relaxation) against Houston. Instead, he goes out there with reckless abandon and on a routine cut, blows out his knee.

The team’s offensive MVP is probably gone for the season. Welker’s tears on the bench pretty much ended all hopes of a miraculous comeback.

Greatest nightmare realized.

The Patriots lost one of their stars in a meaningless game.

It wasn’t a meaningless game for the Houston Texans, however.  They needed this game to keep their playoff hopes alive as well as assure themselves of their first winning season.

They didn’t play like that for the first three quarters.

Kicker Kris Brown missed two field goals and an extra point.

Matt Schaub threw a costly pick to Darius Butler for a 91 yard return.

The Patriots then marched down and scored another touchdown by Fred Taylor to give New England a 27-13 lead early in the fourth.

Julian Edelman played admirably in place of the injured Wes Welker.

With most of the starters playing, you wanted this game as a fan, but this game was on the road.

The scene of numerous road crimes versus Indianapolis, New York, Denver, and Miami.

Their house of horrors.

The New England offense was ineffective yet again in the second half.

The musical chairs between Brady and backup Brian Hoyer didn’t work.

The defense melted away.

Jonathan Wilhite continued to get torched and Meriweather continued to make mental mistakes.

The Patriots blew yet another lead on the road.

Do the Patriots forget that they do not have home field advantage in the playoffs?

After next week’s wildcard against team “X” (I want nothing to do with the Steelers), they will have to go to San Diego or Indy and that’s without their offensive sparkplug.

Bill Belichick and Tom Brady were not happy with today’s outcome. Belichick wanted nothing to do with his post game press conference and Brady never even showed up for his.

Maybe they both now know that it’s going to be an incredibly difficult uphill climb to get another ring.

Joe Gill is a featured blogger for Boston Sports Then and Now