Welker, Branch Lead Patriots Offense Over Eagles
BOSTON (CBS) - Right before Wes Welker hauled in a 41-yard touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, the Patriots receiver made sure his quarterback knew exactly what he was going to do.
"We ran the same play earlier on and the safety came down pretty hard. I told (Brady) in the huddle if I see this coverage I'm going to studder him and go," Welker recalled after New England's 38-20 win. "He was fine with it; luckily we got the coverage and were able to get a touchdown on it."
"He said before the play 'if I get this certain look I'm going to fake an in-cut and run the post.' He did it, and came to the sideline and said 'I told you! I told you!' That was pretty funny," quarterback Tom Brady said of the play. "It's nice when they work out kind of how you talk about. Wes is so consistent and reliable. He's a phenomenal player."
Welker returned to form Sunday against the Eagles, catching eight passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns. His 41-yard score made it 21-10 New England, and capped off 21-unanswered points by the Patriots after trailing 10-0 early in the game.
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"I think it's just veteran leadership and guys really stepping up; understanding we have to make plays and stay resilient no matter what happens early on," Welker said of the early come-back. "You can't really get down; you can never get too high or too low. Just make sure you just keep on fighting even through they're up 10-0."
Welker was not done after the long strike, adding a nine-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He fought to get into the endzone, stretching for the pylon as he fell out of bounds. He got the ball across for the six points, something his teammates are used to seeing from the speedy receiver.
"He has a knack for it. Whenever he's around there he just sticks that ball across," said Brady. "That was a hell of a play by him."
It was not just Welker in New England's air attack against Philly. Deion Branch led all of Brady's targets with 125 yards on six receptions, including a 63-yard catch and run that got New England down to the Eagles one yard line.
After the game, both gave each other all the credit for the play.
"I think overall the front line did a great play blocking for Tom. It wasn't the play that I made; it was the play he made with his feet," Branch said of Brady stepping up in the pocket before delivering the pass. "Tom doesn't get a lot credit for keeping his head up and getting out of the pocket making plays, and that's what he did… all the credit goes to the front line and Tom."
"I just tried to jam it inside to him, he caught it and he did the rest," said Brady, who finished 24-for-34 with 361 yards and three touchdowns. "I thought he had a great cut back down there at the 15-20 to get us to the one. That was a huge play in the game and I think stopped the momentum they had established."
Read: Levan Reid's Patriots Blog
Sunday was the fourth time this season the Patriots have had two receivers go over 100 yards.
At 8-3 with the offense clicking and the defense coming together, the Patriots are sitting pretty atop the AFC. But the focus is not on football in January, just on next Sunday.
"It was a great game today. We came out and did exactly what coach Belichick asked of this week. Now it's about starting to build from this," said Branch. "The football season starts after Thanksgiving. Right now we're 1-0 and we have five games left… we're going to take it one game at a time. Our next biggest opponent is the Colts."
Only five games? What about the playoffs?
"Five in the regular season left," Branch said, correcting himself. "One game at a time."
