When the Patriots traded for 34-year old WR Chad Ocho Cinco, they thought he would step up and start opposite of Wes Welker.  That isn’t how things worked out though.  He played in 15 games (3 starts) for the Patriots this year and he caught 15 passes for 276 yards (18.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Ocho Cinco has now played in 166 games (135 starts) in his first 11 years in the NFL and he has caught 766 passes for 11,059 yards (14.4 avg) with 67 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 24 times for 175 yards (7.3 ypc) and he has made it to six Pro Bowls so far in his career.  This will be Ocho Cinco’s first Super Bowl and he might be a secret weapon for the Patriots or he could watch the whole game from the sideline.

The Patriots have placed 26-year old safety Josh Barrett on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a calf injury.  Barrett played in 5 games for the Patriots this year and he had 17 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss.  The Patriots will need Sergio Brown to step up the rest of the season.  He has played in 7 games for the Patriots so far this year and he has 22 tackles, 1 interception and 1 pass defensed.  The Patriots have brought back linebacker Niko Koutouvides, who was one of their last cuts before the 2011 season started.

The New England Patriots need more production in the return game, especially on kickoffs.  Julian Edelman has been the return man used the most by the Patriots this year as he has returned 9 kickoffs for 214 yards (23.8 avg) and 9 punts for 105 yards (11.7 avg).  Stevan Ridley (7 returns, 152 yards, 21.7 avg), Danny Woodhead (4 returns, 74 yards, 18.5 avg), Matthew Slater (2 returns for 44 yards), Rob Gronkowski (1 return for 11 yards) and Rob Ninkovich (1 return for 10 yards) also have pitched in on kickoff returns for the Patriots this year.  WR Wes Welker has returned 8 punts for 82 yards (10.3 avg) so far for the Patriots this year.  The Patriots have now returned 24 kickoffs for 505 yards (21.0 avg) and 17 punts for 187 yards (11.0 avg) so far this year.

The Patriots will be without 25-year old LB Jerod Mayo for the next 4-6 weeks due to a left MCL sprain.  Mayo has played in 4 games for the Patriots so far this year and he has 24 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 forced fumble.  25-year old Gary Guyton will replace Mayo in the starting lineup.  Guyton has played in 3 games for the Patriots so far this year and he has 10 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss.  Mayo is one of he best players on the Patriots’ defense, so expect a dropoff without him…..if that’s even possible due to the way they are playing right now.

Starting strong safety Pat Chung is likely out for this Sunday’s game against the Bills due to thumb surgery.  Chung has played in both of the Patriots’ games so far this year and he has 14 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 sack.  This means that Sergio Brown and Josh Barrett will likely be the starting safeties this weekend.  Brown and Barrett have both played in both of the games for the Patriots so far this year.  Brown has 13 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception and Barrett has 8 tackles.  James Ihedibgo will be the only backup on the roster unless the Patriots sign someone in the next couple of days.  He has played in 2 games for the Patriots this year and he has 2 tackles.  This is a big blow to the back end of the Patriots’ D.

The Patriots have lost Pro Bowl WR Wes Welker for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee that he injured against the Texans yesterday.  Welker played in 14 games this season for the Patriots and he caught 123 passes for 1,348 yards (11.0 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 36 yards (7.2 ypc) this year.  Rookie Julian Edelman will likely have to step up for the Patriots in Welker’s role of the tough guy over the middle.  Edelman has played in 11 games this season for the Patriots and he has caught 37 passes for 359 yards (9.7 avg) with a TD grab.  He has also carried the ball 2 times for 5 yards (2.5 ypc) this season.  This is a huge blow to the Patriots’ offense as Welker is Tom Brady’s security blanket in the passing game.

The Patriots are 3-1 which is remarkable when you consider that franchise QB Tom Brady still looks rusty.  His 83.7 QB Rating is not bad for most QBs in the NFL but it is terrible for him.  He has completed 108 of 174 passes (62.1%) for 1,129 yards with 4 TD passes and 2 INTs.  Brady can’t blame the offensive line for not giving him enough time as he has only been sacked 4 times this season.  Randy Moss is only averaging 11.4 yards per catch so far this season and that’s not a good thing for the Patriots as Brady needs to start attacking defenses down the field.  He’s better than he has played this season and the Patriots will need him to have a big game in order to beat the Broncos on the road this week.