I thought Edelman did a really nice job Thursday night.
I suspect that playing the Jets helped.
The Jets defense is pretty good.
I'm not sure what Welker would have done in that Jets game that Edelman didn't do. Edelman did everything that a smaller slot receiver could do in that situation. He caught a TON of passes, usually as the safety valve for Tom Brady, since none of the other receivers were getting open at all. Welker might have gotten some more yards after the catch, but I doubt it would have been much.
The Patriots are really missing their TEs right now, not Welker. Through 2 games Brady has completed 1 pass to a TE. Compare that to the last few years in which the TEs have been a major part of the offensive game plan at all times.