SEATTLE -- He's like a Timex watch. He takes a beating, but keeps on ticking.

He's like the Energizer Bunny. He just keeps going, and going, and going…

He's like those old Joe Palooka blow-up "bop bags" that, when you knock 'em down, they pop right back up.

He's Wes Welker and, for as long as he's been playing football, he's been told he's too small.

"Pop Warner, middle school, high school, college, the pros -- you've just got to believe in yourself," he said Sunday.

It's hard to believe that Welker plays professional football.

He's Rudy, but with talent. Like the undersized Notre Dame walk-on in the popular movie, Welker's "five-foot-nothin'" and weighs "a hundred-and-nothin.'"

Officially, Welker is 5-foot-9 and weighs 185 pounds, but both of those numbers appear to be on the high side.

But how about these outsized numbers he put up in the Patriots' Tony Manero-like -- as in "Stayin' alive, stayin' alive," late-game, comeback victory over the struggling, but still-battling, Seahawks -- 12 receptions, 134 yards and a two-point conversion catch.

Those were season highs for Welker, and also accounted for exactly half of Matt Cassel's 268 passing yards.

With the Pats' playoff hopes on the line, the little guy came up huge -- especially on what proved to be the game-winning drive.

Trailing 21-16, the Patriots found themselves at their own 29 with 8:47 left to play.

"We knew we had to take care of business," said Cassel, "to stay in the playoff hunt."

The Pats were on the brink of being out of business, and probably the playoffs, too, facing a third and 10 at the Seattle 44. The Seahawks blitzed, and Cassel, with defenders in his face, floated a pass toward the right sideline, where he knew Welker would be waiting.

"If they blitz multiple players," Cassel said, "They're probably going to be in one-on-one coverage outside. We try to take advantage of that."

They succeeded, as Welker caught the ball for a gain of 13 yards and a critical first down.

On the next play, Cassel went right back to Welker -- this time with a quick pass to the left side that the little guy turned into a big gain, good for 25 yards to the Seattle 6.

"What can't you say about Wes Welker?" Cassel said. "He's an all-around football player. He's a guy you can rely on, a guy I look to constantly in pressure situations because I know he's going to get open."

Despite his height -- or lack of it -- Welker is a guy who, as Cassel said, "everybody looks up to, because he gives you 150 percent on every play."

"He's one of the most inspirational guys we've got," Pats tackle Matt Light said. "He's as tough as they come."

Two weeks ago, in Miami, Welker was leveled by 250-pound linebacker Channing Crowder. Two plays later, he was back on the field. Last week, against the Steelers, he was drilled by safety Ryan Clark. That time, Welker had to remain on the sidelines.

"I felt fine," he insisted Sunday. "The doctors didn't agree with me."

Fortunately for the Pats, he was ready to play against the Seahawks.

"He's really a competitive guy -- a smart guy, good hands, good concentration, tough," coach Bill Belichick said. "He does a lot of things well."

The New England defensive backs are relieved they don't have to cover Welker.

"He's a small guy," said rookie corner Jonathan Wilhite, "but he has a lot of heart. He practices hard. The stuff you see in games, we see in practice."

Despite the hard hits, Welker never loses a step, nor his concentration, nor his courage.

"He's quick and fast," said Seattle cornerback Josh Wilson, "and does the dirty work. He's a tough guy who'll run the underneath routes and do the crossing routes."

"I'll do whatever they ask me to do," Welker said. "I just go out there and do my job each and every play to the best of my ability."

And if he gets pounded in the process -- well, that's just part of the game.

"That's part of the job," he said. "You're going to take some vicious hits out there. You just have to make sure that you bounce back and get ready for the next play. It's one of those things you have to fight through to make sure you're ready to go on Sundays."

Perilously close to falling into third place in the AFC East, the Patriots instead are in a three-way tie for first heading into next Sunday's game at Oakland.

Thanks to Welker, they're still fighting for a playoff spot. And, like Welker, they hope to keep on going, and going, and going.

jdonalds@projo.com