The New England Patriots’ Super Bowl chances just took a serious hit.
An MRI exam Monday confirmed All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski will miss the remainder of the season after tearing the ACL and MCL in his right knee in Sunday’s win over the Browns.
Gronkowski, who missed the first six games of the season due to offseason back and forearm surgeries, suffered the devastating injury after catching a pass in the third quarter and taking a low hit from Cleveland safety T.J. Ward.
Gronkowski, 24, had 37 receptions for 560 yards and four touchdowns this season, elevating New England’s offense, which ranked 22nd in the league before his return. The Patriots were the league’s second-highest scoring team with Gronkowski.
Tom Brady acknowledged how much the loss affects the team, but the Patriots quarterback believes the offense still can be successful with the proper adjustments. The Patriots have two other tight ends on the roster — Matthew Mulligan and Michael Hoomanawanui — and have played fullback James Develin at the position sporadically.
“It just shifts; you just have to find a different formula,” Brady said on WEEI in Boston when asked whether the team’s reserve tight ends are capable of doing what Gronkowski does. “I think that’s the important part. And Gronk provides a certain margin of error because of how talented a player he is, and the other guys play different roles for us.
“Those roles are going to have to shift, kind of what we did on the last two drives of the game. We had four receivers at points, at different points we had more [tight ends] with Develin and Mulligan on the field.”
Gronkowski’s injury appears as if it was a result of the NFL’s emphasis on avoiding head injuries. After the game, Ward said he targeted Gronkowski low because he feared he could get fined by the league for a high hit.
“It was a decision I made just to make a tackle on a big man and unfortunately he got hurt, but if I would’ve hit up high, there’s a chance I would get fined and all that other stuff. I’m just being safe,” Ward said.
“My intention is never to hurt anyone. That’s not what this game is about. That’s not how I play, I hate to see guys go down with any type of injury and I just wanted him to know, whether he accepted it or not, it wasn’t an intentional hit to injure him. But we have to play this game, we have to play it the way that they force us to, and unfortunately, we incurred an injury for him.”
Prior to the 2012 season, Gronkowski signed a six-year, $54 million extension, the largest deal ever for a tight end. He was limited to 11 games last season due to injury, following his 2011 record-breaking season, in which he had 90 receptions, 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns.