Brady recognized a glitch in the defense when the Pats stepped to the line with a first-and-10 from their own 1-yard line. He made a check to Wes Welker, who ran through single coverage in the left seam, hauled in the pass, broke off a tackle from cornerback Benny Sapp and raced free for a 99-yard touchdown.
"That was pretty awesome," Brady said. "When I saw him break away, it was awesome. You never know when it's going to go. It was man to man, and Wes ran a great route. I only threw it 25 yards. It's not like I threw it 99 yards. Wes did all the work. I just had to put it out there for him."
It was the 12th 99-yard touchdown pass in NFL history. The first happened in 1939 when Frank Filchock connected with Andy Farkas, and the most recent came in 2008 when Gus Frerotte hit Bernard Berrian.
Welker made sure to note that it was really 99 1/2 yards.
"When I saw the coverage as we lined up in the set, I knew there was probably some possibility I could be getting the ball on this play," Welker said. "I just wanted to make the most of the opportunity."
