New England Patriots: Five Worst Season Ending Injuries

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5. Wes Welker, 2009

January 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker (83) catches a pass against the defense of New England Patriots free safety Devin McCourty (32) in the first half of the 2013 AFC Championship football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

In 2009, the Patriots were wrapping up their season down in Houston, Texas with a game against the Houston Texans. The game had no barring on their playoff seeding, as they were already slated to play the next week against the Baltimore Ravens. Simply put, as long as they left Houston healthy, the result did not make a difference. Unfortunately for the New England Patriots, that was not the case.

Midway through the first quarter the Patriots ran a third down play to slot receiver extraordinaire Wes Welker and after making a nice cut to avoid a defender, Welker went straight to the ground clutching his left knee. A few days later it was confirmed that Welker had torn his ACL and missed the Patriots Wild Card game against the Ravens.

Most would make the argument that if Welker had played he would have made a huge difference, while others contend that Ray Rice’s performance that day would have been too much for the Patriots to overcome, even if Welker was in the lineup.

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