INDIANAPOLIS — No one but Wes Welker knew what he was thinking as he climbed a podium Sunday night, 30 minutes after his New England Patriots lost to the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, but it was not difficult to imagine.
His voice, barely above a whisper, quavered as he deconstructed the dropped pass that stalled a potential victory-sealing drive. No matter how many times he assumed responsibility for it, choking back tears as he spoke, the result would never change, and that will sting deep into a long offseason.
"It's a play I never drop," Welker said, still dumbfounded how the Patriots lost another Super Bowl to the Giants in the closing minutes, this by 21-17. "I always make it. And in the most critical situation, I let the team down."
All season, Tom Brady has relied on Welker. And all season, Welker rewarded him, leading the league with 122 catches. He caught the first seven passes thrown to him Sunday night. The eighth caromed off his hands at the Giants 20, with the Patriots leading 17-15 and less than 4 minutes remaining. It was a tough play — Welker twisted around in mid-air, adjusting to Brady's pass — but to him the degree of difficulty was irrelevant.
"The ball's right there," Welker said.
The Patriots' second consecutive setback in the Super Bowl was as painful as their last, four years ago to the Giants in the Arizona desert, if not more, players said.
Running back Danny Woodhead said, "It's as tough of a loss as I think I've ever had."
And it might have felt that way because the Patriots had overcome so much this season — a maligned defense, several injuries, the death of Myra Kraft, the wife of the team owner Robert K. Kraft — and yet had won 10 in a row, cruising since losing to the Giants at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 6.
Brady leaned on Welker. And he leaned on his other constant, Rob Gronkowski, who all week deflected queries about his left ankle. Gronkowski spent significant time on the sideline Sunday night, and when he did play, he was more effective as a decoy than a receiving option. He caught only two passes for 26 yards, despite saying again and again during the week that he felt fine.
Even as Woodhead and Aaron Hernandez seized the spotlight ceded by Gronkowski, scoring the Patriots' touchdowns, Brady and the Patriots could not summon enough late magic, failing to score over the game's final 26 minutes.
Until Ahmad Bradshaw's touchdown, the Patriots had led the Giants on the strength of two epic drives, ruthless in their efficiency, that bookended halftime. The first, which covered 96 yards, showcased Woodhead's shiftiness and speed. The second, which stretched 79 yards, revealed the matchup problems that Hernandez — a receiver masquerading as a tight end — can create.
According to the ESPN Stats & Info blog, Patriots running backs did not have a touchdown reception during the regular season, and they were also held without one in two playoff games.
That was before Woodhead zipped across the middle to punctuate what tied for the longest drive in Super Bowl history. He accounted for 33 of the drive's yards on three runs and four receptions, and his effort compounded the frustrations for the Jets and their fans. Waived by the Jets in September 2010, two years after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Chadron State, Woodhead latched on with New England and has thrived as a change-of-pace back with lethal receiving skills.
The Giants led 9-0 before New England had gained a yard, but as his offensive line handled the Giants' pass rush, Brady started incorporating Woodhead and Hernandez more.
As New England started to gain momentum and a 17-9 lead in the third quarter, Brady's offensive threats were coalescing. Meanwhile, Brady was in the midst of a string of 16 consecutive completions — it seemed as if the Patriots had found their footing, with that elusive championship in sight.
And then their most reliable receiver dropped the ball.
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