I know you don’t want to believe this, but Julian Edelman is not Wes Welker.

I get that he’s short and quick and shifty, I really do. (And there must be some other reason why he’s only compared to Welker and no other receiver in the NFL. Any ideas?) And he gave the Patriots about 90 cents on the Welker dollar on Sunday (10 catches, 103 yards).

But Welker has played at an all-time level, week in and week out, over the last three seasons. He has averaged nearly nine catches a game with the Patriots. Welker is the ultimate example of a “leave alone” guy: When he plays, you know he’s going to produce (and more often than not at an All-Pro level) and you don’t ever worry about him. He's the only guy on the team that seemingly never has a bad game.

And that’s what goes out the window with the loss of Welker: the security.

It’s certainly possible that Edelman will step in, play well, and the offense won’t skip more than a beat or two. He’s had some nice moments this season to be sure.

But a year ago today Julian Edelman was a college quarterback enjoying winter break and Wes Welker had just finished his second straight season with at least 110 catches. So when the Pats line up against the Ravens at Gillette on Sunday, they will do so with Randy Moss (Still want him gone now? Sure you don't want Edelman and Stanback starting?) and some questions at wide receiver. Not exactly how you want to go into the playoffs.

Now, the story of the week, I’m sure, will be if Bill Belichick goofed in playing the starters in what really was a meaningless game. And make no mistake, the 3 seed is not worth risking life and limb.

Can you really tell me if the Steelers are better than the Ravens? How about the Texans or the Jets? Don’t forget about the Broncos. And P.S.? The 4 seed probably means the Colts in the second round, the 3 seed means the Chargers.

While I understand that the Colts have both Peyton Manning and what would seem to be the Pats’ number right now, this still is a team that New England dominated (on the road) for three quarters just a few months ago. Would a 27-24 win shock anyone? Plus, the Colts aren’t exactly heading into the playoffs with Uncle Mo riding shotgun.

But the Chargers? Scary. Sure, there’s always Norv Turner, but if you’ve watched the San Diego offense at all over the last two months you know this would be the worst possible matchup for the Patriots. I think the Chargers are the one team in the AFC that could give the Pats a 41-17, Monday Night-in-New Orleans-type of beating. Point is, if Belichick had left every single significant player behind and played the cast of “Designing Women” against the Texans, I would have been fine with it.

So, why won’t I give Belichick the (fill in whatever name of professional BB hater you prefer here) treatment for the Welker injury?

If Belichick had played Welker, Moss and Brady for just one quarter on Sunday, would anyone have thought that to be anything but cautious, if not overly so? Of course not.

Welker's injury was on the fourth play of the game, and he wasn’t even touched when he was injured. Total, complete fluke. Could happen in any practice. I am comfortable chalking it up to bad luck and moving on. 

But …

I was more than a little troubled by the way Belichick handled the rest of the game. I’m still confused, to be honest, as to why Tom Brady came back into the game. Was it to get acclimated to a Welker-less offense? OK, if that’s the case why did he leave the game in the first place?

And why did Brian Hoyer come back in for the final drive? Down seven points, with less than two minutes left, in a game that the folks at CBS told us 50 times the Patriots really wanted to win, and no Brady or Moss on the field?

Which is it, Bill? Are you trying to win this game or are you trying to make sure that no one else needs a cart to get back to the locker room?

And that leads to the No. 1 question of the week, for me. If Tom Brady really has three broken ribs (as reported by Charlie "Rip Taylor" Casserly before the game), what is he doing anywhere near the field?

I’m presuming that Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren and Kevin Faulk would have all played were this a playoff game, but were left home because this was a game that really meant nothing. Why is it any different with Brady (who threw, I think, the worst pick of his career in the fourth quarter -- straight out of the Favre book)? Seemed to me a lot of mixed messages from the HC of the NEP.

And while this will always be remembered as the Welker Game (and you know Bill Polian will use that injury as Exhibit A when the time comes), don’t forget that the Patriots melted down once again in the fourth quarter. For the first time since the Saints game the defense got a chance to be measured against a top passing offense. Let’s just say that unless Thornton Melon is willing to give a donation, Steve DeOssie won’t be handing out 'A’s in his report card to any member of the defensive unit.

Oh, and the other problem that has plagued this team all year, the shaky play-calling? Plenty of that down the stretch Sunday as well. The Patriots continue to ignore the run in the fourth quarter. In a game that they led virtually the entire second half, they decided to pass the ball on 19 of their final 24 offensive plays. But Solomon Wilcots told me that Bill O’Brien is doing a good job, so I’m fine with it.

Not a lot has changed, actually, from when the Pats and Bills kicked off in Week 1. We still aren't totally sold on the idea that Brady will ever really be Brady again, are we? And the defense is still promising but ultimately not yet defined. This is a team that begins the playoffs in dire need of a sure thing.

Instead, the Patriots will enter the postseason without their only sure thing.