Wes Welker Injury: What Loss of Welker Would Mean for Patriots

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After receiver Wes Welker's neck injury in the New England Patriots' 34-10 preseason loss against the Detroit Lions on Saturday, the Patriots have deemed their leading receiver "questionable."

It's highly likely that Welker will be held out of the team's last preseason game against the New York Giants on Thursday, but the question is, is the injury serious, and what will the Patriots do if Welker is forced to miss significant time?

Welker has been a workhorse for the Patriots ever since coming to Boston from the Miami Dolphins, and rarely has he missed time, but the one critical game he missed (with an ACL and MCL tear) was the Patriots' matchup with the Baltimore Ravens in the wild-card round of the 2010 playoffs.

In that game, the Patriots lost, 33-14, and looked nothing like the powerhouse they've been known to be. Brady went 23-of-54 for only 154 yards, and tossed three interceptions in the process.

Keep in mind, this was the same year Randy Moss was still highly productive, garnering over 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns that season. But it didn't matter. Welker's absence was notable.

Then again, the Patriots lost just two games last season after Welker's production dropped off. And they did so without Moss for the greater part of the season.

The truth is this has always been more of a football system than a football team. Sure, they have a lot of talent, there's no denying that, but Tom Brady and Co. has been able to deal with losses because the backups are always so prepared and everyone knows exactly what they have to do to contribute.

That said, I don't think the Patriots would be able to overcome Welker's loss without Chad Ochocinco, because you do need someone for Brady to throw the ball to.

But even if Welker was lost for an extended period of time, which doesn't seem likely, I'd still believe they could win the Super Bowl with what they have.