Last night the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos put on one of the most electrifying Sunday night football games of the year. But it was a rough homecoming for Denver Bronco’s Wes Welker. Not only did the former Patriot have just four catches for 31 yards and several dropped passes, but the wide receiver was also responsible for a turnover with three minutes left in overtime that ultimately cost his team the game. With this loss the Broncos are 9-2 and tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for first place in the AFC West. They now have the burden of playing the Chiefs next week at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City — one of the toughest stadiums to play at in the NFL — to take control of their division.
Initially the blame for the turnover was placed on Tony Carter. But when you take a second look into the play it’s clear that Welker took too long to make a decision. By the time he finally did, it was too late. According to CBS Sports, Welker also believes he was at fault.
“I just felt like there was a lot of traffic, it was a high ball, [I] basically didn’t want to get into a situation where somebody’s running into me or anything else, and ended up with a situation that I didn’t want to happen in the first place,” Welker said, via CSNNewEngland.com.
“I gotta do a better job of getting up there and getting those guys out of the way, and making sure it doesn’t hit them. I gotta get to him earlier and tell him, and get those guys out of the way if I’m not going to make the catch. I was a little bit in between and you can’t be that way.”
Ultimately it’s unfair to completely blame Welker for the loss. The Broncos blew a 24 point lead against an elite team. This loss was most certainly a team effort.