Welker leads receivers

After four minutes of the third quarter, the game’s leading receiver in yards and catches is Wes Welker, four for 39. Good for Welker, but that’s not a lot of yardage this deep into the game. Amani Toomer had a salty 38-yard catch, but the other marquee guys have been relatively quiet. Randy Moss has one catch for 18 yards, and the Giants’ Plaxico Burress has one for 14.

The rushers aren’t much better, although the Giants have had some success. Brandon Jacobs, a battering ram at 264 pounds, has 35 yards on 11 carries. His slight backup, Ahmad Bradshaw, has 26 yards on four carries. That’s 61 yards on 15 carries for the New York tailbacks.

So look for the Giants to keep trying to run the ball, particularly if they stay within a possession of the lead. And look for the Patriots to keep throwing to Welker, who had two catches for 22 yards on New England’s first possession of the half.