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SEATTLE - He may have had trouble remembering his name last week at this time, but on Sunday, Wes Welker made sure that no one in Seattle would forget his name.

The diminutive wide receiver of the Patriots caught 12 passes for 134 yards in the Patriots' come-from-behind, 24-21 victory over the Seattle Seahawks that propelled them into a three-way tie atop the AFC East with three games to go.

Welker, stopped for the first time this season from catching at least six passes in a game when a late hit from Steelers' safety Ryan Clark took him off the field at Gillette last Sunday, made up for lost time by accounting for exactly half of Matt Cassel's 268 passing yards.

Included in that mix were three catches in the Patriots' game-winning drive, including a 25-yarder with 5:09 left that brought them to the Seattle 6. Four plays later, Sammy Morris dove into the end zone for the go-ahead score, and Cassel threw a square-out to Welker for the two-point conversion that made it a three-point lead with 2:44 left.

Welker took his share of shots in this game, too, but it's all part of the business. "At this point of the season, everybody is a little banged up," he said. "That's one of the things you just have to fight through to make sure you're ready to go on Sundays.

"That's just part of your job," he said. "You're going to take some vicious hits out there, and you just have to make sure that you're bouncing back and getting ready for the next play."

As a receiver who goes over the middle of the field, Welker knows he's at risk. Cassel tries to put the ball where only his receiver can catch it, but that's not always possible. On one of his catches Sunday, he was hit by three Seahawks in unison and still bounced up.

The big hit from Clark last week was the sort that might give some players pause about making themselves a willing target - but not Welker.

"I'll do whatever they ask me to do," he said. "I just go out there and do my job each and every play, and do it to the best of my ability. I think that's everybody's role out there on the team."

Cassel and Patriots' coach Bill Belichick had nothing but praise for the little guy.

"You don't ever want to see him get hit," Cassel said, "but it is part of the game. He's a tough guy and I just anticipate him getting back up."

"Wes is always impressive," Belichick said. "He's a good receiver. He's really a competitive guy, a smart guy ... quick, good hands, good concentration, tough. He does a lot of things well, and today was a big day for him."