DENVER — Rob Gronkowski wasn’t happy with a call that went against him in Sunday’s win over the Broncos.
With just over 10 minutes left in the second quarter and the Patriots holding a 17-6 lead, Gronkowski appeared to come away with a 19-yard touchdown catch on a ball from Tom Brady down the middle, but the pass was ruled incomplete. A review reinforced the decision, but after the game, Gronkowski expressed his displeasure about what had happened.
“I didn’t see any replays or anything like that, but did you guys see any time where the ball hit the ground? That’s because it didn’t. That’s why,” he said after the game. “I put my hand underneath the ball. I know for sure I caught it and I just don’t understand why it wasn’t a TD. It didn’t show (any) evidence of it hitting the ground. I know it didn’t. My fingers were underneath it. It tilted up the ball and I knew it was right there, I brought it in, it landed on my forearm, I brought it in and I knew exactly.
“I went up to (Bill Belichick) and he’s like, ‘Are you sure?’ And I was like, ‘I’m sure, man.’ I would never say that if I wasn’t 100 percent sure because you don’t want to lose that kind of trust. I thought I caught it. I know I caught it. My fingers were underneath it.”
Gronkowski, who finished with four catches on seven targets for 74 yards in the win over Denver. He was augmented by the work of backup tight ends Martellus Bennett (three catches, 38 yards) and Dwayne Allen (an 11-yard touchdown catch) in the win.
“It’s huge. It’s great to see those guys contributing like that,” Gronkowski said of the performance of the duo, which included the first catch of the year for Allen. “It helps out. That’s huge. Seeing Dwayne get that touchdown, I was so happy for him when he got that. It was great to see that and just everyone contributing in our group. (Fullback James) Develin had a couple catches. He’s part of the tight end group and it’s just awesome to see all of us be able to be part of the game plan like that and all contribute in the passing game and run game.”
Pats hit a pair of milestones
Belichick and the team hit a pair of special marks in Sunday’s win. First, the victory was the 270th of Belichick’s head coaching career, tying him for third place overall on the all-time coaches wins list with Tom Landry.
“It’s flattering, but I don’t think that’s the story,” he said after the game. “The story is what our team did and how our team performed. To win games in this league, you need great players, and I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of great players, a lot of great coaches and a great staff. That’s really what it’s about. The players are the ones who deserve the credit, they’re the ones who go out there and make the plays and they did it tonight.”
Second, the team won its 12th straight road game, tying the AFC record set by the 2006-2008 Patriots. It’s the sort of string that speaks to the mentally tough nature of this bunch.
“We definitely have a mentally tough team,” said wide receiver Danny Amendola when asked about the record, which is second only to the 18 straight won by the Niners from 1988 through 1990s. “Guys have been through a lot of adversity, so they know how to deal with playing on the road and playing in front of a hostile crowd. This was a big game. We knew it was going to be a big game and we’re happy we won.”
Brady misses snaps for first time all season
Brady came out of the game late in the fourth quarter. It marked the first time all season the starting quarterback had missed a snap — he was one of four offensive players who had taken every possible snap through the first eight games of the season. … One more note on Brady — his touchdown pass to Allen in the second quarter of Sunday’s game marked the 68th different player had had thrown a pass to in regular-season action. Vinny Testaverde holds the record with 70. … The Patriots defense held Denver to just 16 points on Sunday, marking the fifth straight game that the Patriots have held their opponent under 20 points. In 2016, the Patriots held their opponent under 20 points in 11 games. The Patriots held Tampa Bay to 14 points, the New York Jets to 17, Atlanta to 7, the Los Angles Chargers to 13, and the Broncos to 16 points. … In the context of this conversation, it’s also worth noting that the Patriots have given up one touchdown in the last 10 quarters of play in the last three games against Denver at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, dating back to the 2015 AFC title game. And on the heels of last year’s 16-3 win over the Broncos in Colorado, New England has now won two straight in Denver. It’s the first time the Patriots have had consecutive wins at Denver since winning three games (1964, 1965 and 1966).
(Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports)
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