PATRIOTS MAYBEIN TIGHTSPOT
Teamhas T h done d well ll without ith tG Gronk k in ’ 16- 17 but struggled before that
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In the two- week run- up to the Super Bowl, the Patriots will face plenty of questions about quarterback Tom Brady’s right hand and tight end Rob Gronkowski’s head.
Brady answered most of the concerns about whether the hand injury would hinder him with a strong performance in the Patriots’ come- from- behind victory Sunday against the Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game.
Gronkowski, meanwhile, likely will spend at least part of thisweek going through the concussion protocol. He suffered the injury on a helmet- to- helmet hit from Jaguars safety Barry Church.
Gronkowski is Brady’s favorite target, and he missed the Patriots’ Super Bowl run last season after having season- ending back surgery.
There was no update from the Patriots about Gronkowski’s status Monday, but he was at their facility for team meetings.
‘‘ He was in pretty good spirits when I spoke to him,’’ specialteams captainMatt Slater said.
The Patriots have fared well when Gronkowski has been sidelined recently, but that hasn’t always been the case. They had plenty of time to adjust to his absence last season, when he played in only eight games before the surgery. They also had Martellus Bennett to pick up the slack.
Since the start of last season, the Patriots are 12- 1 without Gronkowski. In those games, their points per game actually increased from 28.6 to 28.8, although their yards per play declined from 8.1 to 7.6.
The Patriots’ offense also has been better without him on third down and in the red zone. In the last two seasons, the Patriots have converted 49.3 percent of their chances on third down and have scored touchdowns on 66 percent of their red- zone trips without him, compared with converting 45 percent on third down and scoring touchdowns on 62.6 percent of their red- zone trips with him.
From his rookie season in 2010 through 2015, though, Gronkowski’s absence had a much greater impact. The Patriots were 12- 7 without Gronkowski during that span, averaging 31.5 points with him and 26.3 without him. Their average yards per pass attempt also fell from 7.8 with him to 6.6 without him.
Before he was injured Sunday, Gronkowski passed Dallas Clark to become the NFL’s career leader for postseason yards at the position. And if the concussion were to sideline him for the Super Bowl, there’s not much depth behind him. The only other tight ends on the Patriots’ roster are Dwayne Allen and Jacob Hollister.
Allen has 10 receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown this season; Hollister has four catches for 42 yards and was inactive against the Jaguars.