Dec 1, 2008 1:16 pm US/Eastern
Pats' Welker Leveled By Hard Hit
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
New England Patriots wide receiver
Wes Welker did not return Sunday after being
leveled late in the third quarter by Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark.
The Patriots did not announce the nature or severity of his injury, and coach Bill Belichick didn't give an update on Welker's condition Monday. Welker walked off the field and was seen chatting with players after the blow.
With Pittsburgh leading 23-10 during their
33-10 win, Matt Cassel's pass to Welker went incomplete and the receiver was knocked down by Clark, who was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness. New England ended up losing a fumble on that series.
"It was not like I was trying to be cheap," Clark said. "Anybody that comes across (the middle), it is my job to tackle them. The ball got tipped, but (the official) said I should not have left my feet. ... I talked to Kevin Faulk and apologized."
Faulk said, "If Wes Welker stays down, then it must have been a pretty hard hit."
Welker finished with four catches for 30 yards, ending his NFL record streak of 11 games with at least six receptions to start a season. He entered the game with 80 receptions, second in the NFL to Houston's Andre Johnson, who had 81.
Welker tied Cincinnati's T.J. Houshmandzadeh with an NFL-best 112 receptions last season.
Asked about the penalty against Clark, Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said, "I don't comment on penalties or officiating."
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said, "I don't have anything to say about that right now."
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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