This is going to seem kind of obvious, but it’s still nonetheless fascinating from a statistical perspective: The New England Patriots no longer have Rob Gronkowski on their roster (for now?), and they also happen to have the best set of receivers Tom Brady has ever thrown to in his whole awesome GOAT career.
So what did the Pats do on Sunday — like they always do — without Gronk and without veteran Ben Watson, who’s serving a four-game suspension? They adapted.
Per ESPN, in Sunday night’s blowout win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Patriots ran more plays without a tight end on the field than they did in TE-less formations in all of 2018:
Like I said: Obviously they did! But look at what they did without a tight end and with Antonio Brown looming. You think they need Gronkowski too? I mean, sure, it would make an already juggernaut of an offense unstoppable, but if the talented tight end decides to stay retired, the Patriots will be just fine and then some.
