Wes Welker, the New England Patriots star receiver, is officially out of the playoffs after an MRI confirmed that he tore the anterior cruciate ligament and the medial collateral ligament in his left knee. The team and coach Bill Belichick are already resigned to moving into the first round of the AFC playoffs without the player.

The receiver injured his knee without being hit while running after a short reception at the Reliant Stadium. Welker caught 123 passes for 1348 yard this season and although he missed the second and third games this season due to a right knee injury, he was able to break his club record of 112 receptions.

“I felt badly for him,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick commented. He's had a great year. It's unfortunate to see any player have an injury. Wes is a great competitor. And I'm sure that - whatever it is - he'll work hard as he always does to bounce back.”

Commenting about the injury, coach Belichick said Welker suffered it when he was trying to avoid a tackle. The coach also commented that the quality of the field was quite poor and he wondered what would have happened on another field. “I'm not saying it cost us the game, but at this level we ought to be able to play with consistency,” he added.

New England quarterback Tom Brady said about Welker that he is an incredible player and leader. Welker is also responsible for more than 30 percent of Brady’s completion this year. About the injury, Brady said: “I think that as football goes, it's kind of the way that it works, unfortunately. We've got to move on.”

When it comes to replacing Welker, the New England Patriots are thinking about rookie Julian Edelman, a college quarterback that became a wide receiver and was drafted by the patriots in the seventh round. Edelman replaced Welker in the game against Houston and caught 10 passes for 103 yards.

Nick Caserio, Patriots director of personnel said Welker and Edelman are very different players. "Really, each is their own player," Caserio said. "Wes has been a great player. He's been in the league now for a number of years. Julian, you're talking about a rookie who really this is his first year playing a position. I think where they may be similar is they're both good with the ball in their hands. Julian is a little bit bigger - bigger build, bigger body may have a little bit more strength to him.”