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Finally, a strategy so simple, even sportswriters can figure it out!

Throw the ball to Wes Welker.

Throw it to him early and often. Throw it to him when he's open, or when he's not. Don't worry about whether he gets hit. He'll get up, and then you can throw it to him again.

Never has a 5-foot-9 wide receiver (although his quarterback said 5-foot-7) stood so tall as Welker did Sunday for the Patriots in their 31-14 victory over the fading-fast New York Jets at Gillette Stadium.

The sixth-year veteran from Texas Tech caught 15 of the 17 balls thrown his way for 192 yards, both career-high totals, to completely change the landscape of the Patriots' passing game from the first time the Jets saw Tom Brady and his buddies on Sept. 20 in the New Jersey Meadowlands. "He played big," Brady said. "He always does he's a great player, and he's working the middle of that field, and when the coverage goes to Randy (Moss), Wes has some opportunities."

Welker missed the first meeting of the two teams (a 16-9 Jets' win) because of a sore knee, and while replacement Julian Edelman played well, catching eight passes for 98 yards, the Jets didn't respect him and continued to pay the most attention to double-covering (regardless of what cornerback Darrelle Revis said) Moss and taking him out of the equation.

The Jets not only respect Welker, they fear him. They can't help it. Perhaps no one in the league is so adept at throwing his body at the football in the most dangerous patterns in the game - out of the slot, across the middle.

The soreness probably kicked in early today.

"I'll probably feel a little something," said Welker, claimed to be 185 pounds on the roster but likely less. "And then Tuesday a little bit. But I really feel OK right now. There were a few hits in there, but for the most part, I feel all right."

Certainly, Welker could be forgiven if adrenaline was masking some of the bumps and bruises. All week long, anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of football assumed that with Welker on the field, as opposed to the last time, the Patriots' passing offense would be radically improved.

And, of course, it was - although in subtle ways.

For instance, Moss still engaged in a standoff with the mouthy Revis, catching just five of 11 passes for 34 yards. One of those was a 4-yard touchdown pass at the end of the first quarter, however, in which he faked out the cornerback with a hitch from a standing stop, and broke to his right to catch a perfect pass from Brady.

Welker kept the stakes moving all evening long, however - and one of the best examples was a 43-yard catch on a third-and-7 play early in the second quarter.

When Moss broke off the line from the Jets' 46, there appeared to be momentary confusion about which of the defensive backs were going to follow him, and which were going to stay put. "They were confused on how they wanted to play it, and I noticed it and Tom saw it, too," Welker said. "I just took off down the field, and we were able to make a big play of it."

"It looked like they were trying to blitz us," Brady said, "and I think they bailed out at the last second. But at that point, Wes was already running up the field. He mailboxed his hand, which he usually doesn't do because it's hard to see because he's about 5-foot-7. But he made a great play and a great catch, and we really needed that one."

Two plays after Welker was brought down at the Jets' 3, Laurence Maroney went in from the 2 for a 21-0 lead.

The Patriots' offense cooled a little in the second half, but Welker added seven more catches to keep possession and chew up time.

"I knew there was probably going to be a lot of balls coming my way," he said, "and the guys did a great job around me of playing really well and blocking up front and doing their jobs. That's what it comes down to, and that's how you have success out there."

If anything, he said, the earlier loss to the Jets may have been less motivating than the previous week's 35-34 loss in Indianapolis, in which a big lead was squandered in the fourth quarter.

"We had an opportunity last week to finish a game, and we didn't," Welker said. "In this situation, we were able to finish the game, and that's something to be excited about. We're making progress in that area."

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com. Read Farinella's blog, "Blogging Fearlessly," at thesunchronicle.com/farinella.