Wes Welker Super Bowl Blunder
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- Category: Sports
Patriots One Catch Away From Win
On the very first offensive play of the game it was clear that the New England Patriots were out of sync. In what appeared to be confusion running a route, Tom Brady overthrew everybody by about 15 yards, resulting in a intentional grounding penalty. Since the throw occurred in the Patriot's end zone, the ruling was a safety. One play, two points for the New York Giant's defense. Adding insult to injury was the touchdown the Giants scored on the very next possession to put the Giants up 9-0. Thankfully for the team from New England it was still very early in the game.
By the time the game entered the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, the Patriots were in a position that they could only have dreamed of. They held a 17-15 lead, and had the ball on the Giant's side of the field with approximately four minutes to go until Super Bowl glory. They were roughly 10 yards away from a distance that would give them a chance for a field goal, and only probably two first downs away from bleeding the clock out. With second down and deep being the situation, somehow Wes Welker ran through a miscommunication on the defense, causing a broken coverage. Brady tossed the ball 30 yards in the air in Welker's direction, hitting both hands of the receiver. Unfortunately, the sure-handed receiver could not make the most important catch of his career when a big play was needed most.
"Let's be honest, Tom Brady did not throw the best football on that play, but the receiver was still able to get into a position to make a play on the ball", explained a sports editor for Southern California vehicle management company GPS Tracker Shop. "There was zero pressure on Welker from the defense, making him essentially wide open, but he was unable to make the play that was needed, the play that should have been made by a Pro-Bowl receiver."
If Welker makes that catch, the Patriots are sitting at the 20-yard line of the Giants with three minutes to go. They can essentially drain the clock to two minutes, or eat all of the Giant's time outs. They can do all of that without getting another first down, and getting three more points on the board. Another first down after that and the game is over.
By draining the clock and taking a 5-point lead, the entire complexity of the game is changed. This is because the Giants need a touchdown to win instead of a field goal, and there is little time on the clock. With the defense of the Patriots knowing the Giants have to march down the field in a hurry they can rush three or four, covering the secondary more tightly. Manning may have made a miraculous drive still, but the odds would have been more likely that he comes up short.
The old saying in football is that not one play loses a game, but sometimes one play can win a game for a team. The Patriots were exactly where they wanted to be, and had the most sure-handed receiver open. Wes Welker is a great player, and he has made millions of dollars playing a game so don't feel sorry for him. His miscue cost the Patriots another Super Bowl win, and took the title of best quarterback of all-time away from Tom Brady, giving it back to Joe Montana. Unfortunately, in his fifth Super Bowl appearance, Tom Brady did not have the luxury of throwing to Jerry Rice. If he did, he too would have four Super Bowl rings.