Rob Gronkowski was hurt last night.
Tom Brady didn't throw him the ball until deep in the first half.
He only had two catches for 26 yards.
And he lacked explosiveness on fourth-quarter jump ball that was ultimately intercepted by the Giants.
As a result, the Pats had to dink and dunk their way down the field with short passes to Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez.
Everyone had been obsessing over Rob Gronkowski's ankle for two weeks.
But because we're conditioned to dismiss Super Bowl Week hype, no one actually believed he'd be as gimpy as he was last night.
After the game, Gronkowski claimed he felt 100%. But his teammate Deion Branch said that 75% of NFL players wouldn't have played if they had Gronk's injury. So it's clear that he wasn't himself.
The Patriots defense did more than anyone expected last night, holding the Giants to 15 points for almost the entire game. It was the offense that let them down. And Gronk's ankle, whether he'll admit it or not, played a big part in that.
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See Also:
- ANSWERED: All The Simple Super Bowl Questions You're Too Embarrassed To Ask
- GIANTS WIN!
- Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski Is 'Definitely' Playing Tonight