NFL

Stop Welker and you can stop New England

Prediction: If the Giants defense holds Wes Welker to the kind of modest numbers the Steelers held him to last Sunday, the Giants will ride triumphantly out of Gillette Stadium on Sunday with a 6-2 record and command of the NFC East at the halfway point in the season.

En route to a 25-17 win over the Patriots that wasn’t as close as the final score indicates, the Steelers stifled Welker, holding him to six silent receptions for a harmless 39 yards.

The Steelers did it with cornerback Ike Taylor covering Welker so closely it looked like the two should have spent the afternoon spooning together in a honeymoon suite.

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Will the Giants use the same strategy Sunday, putting their best cornerback, Corey Webster, on Welker all day?

Assigning Webster to the opposing team’s best receiver has been the Giants’ usual strategy. But Welker is a different dude than most teams’ top receiver, because he’s so elusive and difficult to cover by one man.

“When I’m on top of my game,’’ Welker said yesterday, “I feel like I’m pretty tough to cover.’’

The Giants defenders hardly sounded intimidated by Welker and his gaudy numbers.

“It was done last week,’’ Giants safety Deon Grant said of the Steelers shutting down Welker, “so it ain’t tough,’’

Asked why Welker, who missed yesterday’s practice with a sore neck but is certain to play Sunday, gives so many defenses problems, cornerback Antrel Rolle didn’t flinch, instead offering up a dose of bravado that would raise the hair on the back of Rex Ryan’s neck with envy.

“I don’t know; you have to ask guys he’s given trouble to,’’ Rolle said. “I don’t plan on having to answer those questions [after the game]. Welker’s a great receiver, but it’s not a one-man offense. He’s human. Welker doesn’t throw the ball to himself.’’

Yes, but few have proven they can cover him — as evidenced by the 108 receptions Welker has averaged the last four seasons entering this year, which is projecting to be the best of his career.

This is why Bill Belichick, one of the finest defensive minds in the history of the game, decided if he couldn’t beat Welker, he might as well join him. So Belichick, exasperated by futile attempts at trying to cover Welker when he was playing for the Dolphins, traded for him in 2007. Welker leads the NFL in receptions with 57 and is second in the league in receiving yards with 827. Those project to 130 catches for 1,890 yards and 13 TDs — well within reach to make a run at the NFL records for receptions (143 by Marvin Harrison) and receiving yards (1,848 by Jerry Rice).

If you’re ranking personnel decisions in New England that one might go down as one of the best in franchise history — second only to the pot-luck, look-what-we-found drafting of Tom Brady in the sixth round in 2000.

“That’s why we traded for him from Miami because we couldn’t cover him when he was down there,’’ Belichick said.

Further illustrating how remarkable Welker’s numbers are: Among the league leaders in receptions, the five players below him — Darren Sproles (51 catches), Jimmy Graham (49), Calvin Johnson (47), Steve Smith (46) and Mike Wallace (43) — all have played one more game than Welker. Green Bay’s Greg Jennings, who like Welker has played in seven games, has 42 catches — 15 fewer than Welker.

The ever-diplomatic Tom Coughlin praised the job the Steelers’ Taylor did on Welker, but was quick to add that Welker “got his’’ in the game.

Sure, Welker “got his.’’ He got just enough to show up on the stat sheet. But this is really what Welker got last Sunday: crumbs.

If the Giants similarly keep Welker’s portion control down Sunday, they’ll win the game and control their division.