Decimated Patriots would be doomed without Rob Gronkowski
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is carted off of the field against the Broncos in the fourth quarter at Sports Authority Field.
COMMENTARY
When it seemed as if the New England Patriots had finally lost one of the two players they absolutely could not afford to lose if they still had designs on ultimately winning another Super Bowl title, perfection was revealed to be pointless.
Let the Carolina Panthers deal with all the pressure that comes with such a status. The Patriots will happily exchange the dent in their record for a healthy Rob Gronkowski.
For the first time since last Thanksgiving weekend (cancel next Thanksgiving?), the Patriots lost a game they attempted to win (sorry, Buffalo). It was a result a year in the making, one that showed how far the NFL still has to go in its laissez-faire quest to cure what ails its dubious officiating.
The Denver Broncos may have beaten the Patriots, 30-24, in overtime on Sunday, but the outcome became a secondary concern in the the fourth quarter when Gronkowski went down after Denver defensive back Darian Stewart hit him low. The tight end suffered an injury to his right knee, and was carted off the field after writhing in pain. Quarterback Tom Brady reacted as if his dog, Scooby, had just chewed up his entire closet collection of Uggs. JetBlue operators were presumably experiencing an overload of cancelations from BOS to SFO slated for two months from now.
Even after losing running back Dion Lewis, linebacker Jamie Collins, wide receivers Julian Edelman, Aaron Dobson, and Danny Amendola, and now linebacker Dont’a Hightower, who left Sunday’s game in the second quarter with a knee injury, the comfort was that the Patriots could survive as long as Brady and Gronkowski were healthy. Nay, thrive.
No Gronk means no Lombardi Trophy come February.
No Brady means enjoy the wild card game at Gillette and we’ll see you at the draft.
Half the nightmare appeared to have come true Sunday night, even as the Patriots were seemingly marching their way to their 11th win of the season.
Oh, the loss came fraught with enough questionable calls to make even the most impartial viewer wonder whether NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell could ever fix a game egregiously enough to incur an investigation of Congress. Whether you consider the bogus OPI on Gronkowski, the phantom holding call on safety Patrick Chung that led to Denver’s go-ahead score in the fourth, or the blatantly ignored holding infractions committed by the Denver offensive line on the go-ahead and winning touchdowns to be the most inexplicable decision of the game, this clinic of officiating incompetence is beginning to give the WWE more legitimacy than the NFL.
Every week, in every game, there are more and more questionable calls to swallow. It’s not us, NFL, it’s you.
Let the record show that the Patriots lost their pursuit of the first 19-0 season in NFL history with an intense loss that the Broncos were gifted more than they won. Not to take anything away from C.J. Anderson, Brock Osweiler and the comeback that the Broncos mounted against the No. 1-seeded Patriots, but this is a game they lose if not for the littering of yellow on the snow-covered grass of Sports Authority Field.
Things also took a turn when former and future practice squad guy Chris Harper muffed a punt return that helped lead to a Broncos score in the second half. So it’s not like Patriots fans can blame the zebras for everything. It couldn’t have been worse for the wide receiver.
But the season, not just the game, took a turn for the worst when Gronkowski went down in pain. In mere seconds, not only was perfection in jeopardy, but so too was the aspiration of another Super Bowl title. Was it the ACL? MCL? And whom can I dump those tickets on in time for next week’s Philly game?
After Gronk went down, nothing really mattered. Stephen Gostkowski continued to silence his doubters with his own clutch kick in the snow to force overtime.
But how was Gronk?
Brady and the Patriots exhibited zero cohesion on their OT possession, forced to punt the ball away.
But where was Gronk?
Anderson galloped 48 yards for the game-winning touchdown, ending the Patriots’ undefeated season, and leaving them only a game up on the Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
What was Gronk doing?
The loss was of secondary concern, especially for Patriots fans who have been here before and understand the importance of a healthy roster heading into January. Indeed, Gronkowski was all that mattered.
And the news might actually be good. Or, at the very least, it might be slightly better than devastating.
Multiple reports filtering into Monday morning suggested that the Patriots might have dodged a bullet with Gronkowski. ESPN’s Adam Scheffer reported that, pending an MRI, the injury “doesn’t appear to be serious,’’ a tidbit that was cause for celebration in New England, especially for those already wallowing in a mini-state of depression with the image of the tight end on the ground fresh in their minds.
During an entertainingly uncomfortable post-game press conference, where he seemingly gave an individual death stare to every media member in attendance, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick succinctly updated everyone on Gronkowski’s condition by saying he didn’t have an update. But Gronkowski was reportedly standing in the locker room after the game, and though he didn’t take any questions, was walking without crutches.
The Patriots lost? After that update? Whatever.
“Hopefully it’s not too serious,’’ Brady said. “We’ll see.’’
The Patriots may yet finish 18-1, which might even be a better record for exorcising any demons than a potential 19-0 season might have been.
That aspiration is dead, but the decimated Patriots may still be very much alive. The AFC East title will have to wait another week. The ultimate fate of the season lies in the knee of Rob Gronkowski.
Again.
Contact Eric Wilbur at: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @GlobeEricWilbur
Photos: Patriots lose their first game of the season in Denver
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