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Wes Welker had a Super Bowl victory gift wrapped and handed to him on a silver platter by Tom Brady. Welker would win his first Super Bowl and help Brady win his fourth solidifying him as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history; it just didn’t happen that way. The ball fell from Welker’s hand and two plays later the Patriots punted the ball back to the Giants and as the say, the rest is history. The Giants won their fourth Super Bowl 21-17.

The big question that comes from this Super Bowl, however, is what does the future hold for Tom Brady?

He hasn’t won a Super Bowl since 2005. There is a reason for that. The Patriots defense is a shell of what it was in the early 2000s. Every year fans jump on the bandwagons of teams with great offenses because they are flashy and put up a lot of points; the only problem is they usually concede a lot of points as well.

The Saints and Colts two of the most prolific offenses in recent history have won one Super Bowl a piece. There is a reason they haven’t won more. Although their offenses are immaculate their defenses can’t make the important stops when it needs them.

There is a saying that defense wins championships. If you believe this statement then you would have had little faith in the Patriots and Packers entering the playoffs. Being the number one seeds in the AFC and NFC respectively they had many things in common. Great quarterback play, amazing wide receivers and the ability to put up points in a heartbeat. There was just one problem the Packers ranked last and the Patriots second to last in the league in total defense.

Great offenses are fun to watch, but it is difficult to continuously overcome a poor defense. One of the Colt’s best seasons defensively was the only Super Bowl year Peyton Manning had. The only Super Bowl Drew Brees has won came behind a defense that continued to come up with turnovers. Call it coincidence, but I believe there is a good reason why these two quarterbacks needed good defensive play to win a Super Bowl: defense wins Super Bowls.

So the question is raised: did Brady miss his last shot at a Super Bowl victory?

With defensive play like this the Patriots will struggle to win another Super Bowl. It is just too difficult to overcome a bad defense. It is not just the defense, however, that the Patriots must worry about. They also have an aging offensive line. A line that gets nowhere near the credit it deserves. People talk about the low amount of sacks that Brady takes and they’re right he rarely takes sacks or hits. The only issue is that’s it’s not Brady’s athletic ability or maneuverability that has kept him on his feet all these years. So to give him the credit is unfair; instead of saying how few times Brady takes a sack they should say how few time the Patriots offensive line allows him to be sacked.

The Patriots still have what it takes to win, but with defensive play like this and the all too real possibility that their offensive line may start to retire they may have missed their chance to win a fourth Super Bowl.

Don’t worry though if you’re a Patriots fan. As long as Belichick is around the Patriots will be contenders and Ryan Mallet looks like he will be ready to take over when Brady leaves. You will, however, likely never see Brady hoist another Lombardi trophy. Unless of course the Patriots defense does a complete 180 in the 2012-2013 season and I wouldn’t put that past the Patriots coaches.