New England Patriots: Breaking Down Tom Brady's Touchdown Pass to Wes Welker

Wes Welker's awareness, route-running savvy and ability to read defenses are what make him such a special wide receiver. And he used all three on his second-quarter, 41-yard touchdown reception.

What's even more incredible is that he went from double-covered to wide open in the span of about three seconds.

Patriots offensive formation: The Patriots absolutely love the 12 personnel grouping: one running back, two tight ends and two wide receivers. Tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski are stacked on the right side of the line in a three-point stance, with Welker in the slot and Deion Branch lined up wide to the left. Danny Woodhead lines up in the backfield, and Brady is under center.

Eagles defensive formation: The Eagles are actually in a good formation to defend a pass with a nickel package that has five defensive backs and two linebackers. The Eagles run their trademark "wide nine" defensive front, with Trent Cole lined up way outside Matt Light's outside shoulder. This is designed to give the defensive end a little extra leverage in getting around the tackle to get pressure on the quarterback.

As you can see above, cornerback Nate Allen is backpedaling. He was much closer to the line of scrimmage, but backed out at the last second. It would appear he's tentative as to whether this is going to be a run or a pass.

The Patriots formation gives the illusion of a run to the right, with Welker and Branch the decoys on the left. The ball is snapped and, after a quick pump-action fake to his left, Brady turns around for a play action that would send Woodhead through the A gap between the center and right guard.

From their reaction, it looks like the Eagles were expecting a run, too.

If Joselio Hanson bit any harder on the play action, the field would have had teeth marks in it. He has completely taken himself out of the play in biting on the play action. 

This is where another wrinkle comes into play. Just before the play-action fake, Brady pump-faked the ball to the left. He had done the exact same thing earlier before handing the ball off to BenJarvus Green-Ellis for six yards.

This time, Hanson didn't intend to be fooled. 

Only problem is, he got fooled. He wants to help make the stop, but lets Welker run right by him. 

Nate Allen bites on the play action, too, but is able to make it back in coverage in time. He still has a chance to make the play.

Except really, he doesn't. 

“We ran the same play early on and the safety came down pretty hard,” Welker said after the game, “so I told [Brady] in the huddle, ‘If I see this coverage, I’m going to stutter him and go,’ and he was fine with it. Luckily we got the coverage and we were able to get a touchdown on it.”

Welker fakes the in-cut and just goes.

The subtle stutter step is enough to get right by Allen for an easy six. I'd circle the guys, but I figure you can surmise that Welker is the one in the white jersey with his hand up, and Allen and Hanson are the ones hastily trying to make up lost ground.

Both bit on separate parts of the play like they were biting into a two-course meal at Burger King: fast and sloppy with no regard for form.

They must realize that this is the same Wes Welker that beat Dolphins cornerback Benny Sapp for a 99-yard reception in Week 1 and beat Darrelle Revis for a 73-yard reception in Week 4.

The Brady-to-Welker combination has always been one of the most efficient in the league, and the numbers are incredible when the two are connecting deep. On passes that travel 10 or more yards in the air, Brady is 17-of-28 passing for 529 yards and a touchdown for a passer rating of 116.7 this season alone.

They have made it work on the deep pass all season, but they had a clue this one in particular would work. This was just the latest example of great chemistry between Welker and Brady.

The NFL is overrun by big wide receivers making leaping catches, but it's the little things that the 5'8" Wes Welker is doing that have helped him become the league's leading receiver.

Because let's face it—when you don't have the physical tools to win one-on-one matchups, you have to get creative and be able to pull out a few tricks.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter @ErikFrenz.