3 times Rob Gronkowski absolutely destroyed the Denver Broncos
Rob Gronkowski vs. Denver Broncos moment no. 1
2015 AFC Championship Game
There could be no other in the number one slot, could there?
As far as individual performance, this was one of the most impressive games of Rob Gronkowski’s fantastic career.
Considering the stakes, the fact that Gronk was coming off of an injury he suffered against the Broncos earlier in the season, and some of the clutch plays he made, I’m not sure he has ever played better football.
On the other side of things, there were some moments in favor of the Broncos against Gronkowski that stand out in this game as well.
The Broncos and Patriots traded blows early on in this game, the Broncos drawing first blood on a touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to Owen Daniels.
The Patriots closed out the first quarter with a touchdown run from Steven Jackson but kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed the extra point, which would prove to be a massive difference-maker in this game overall.
At the start of the second quarter, Tom Brady threw an interception to Von Miller who dropped into coverage on who else? Rob Gronkowski.
It was that interception that set up another touchdown from the Broncos and gave the No Fly Zone the type of lead necessary to really control this game for the next couple of quarters.
Then, in the fourth quarter, it was the Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski show.
In a two-minute drill, the Patriots had a 4th-and-10 from midfield and Rob Gronkowski made a massive 40-yard play to put the Patriots in striking distance, down just eight points.
Four plays later, again on 4th down, Brady went to Gronkowski again and Gronk went up over what felt like the entire Denver Broncos defensive backfield for an impressive touchdown catch to give the Patriots a chance with just 12 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Broncos absolutely did not want to see the Patriots in overtime again, and it all came down to an intense two-point conversion attempt.
Brady would have been better served trying to force the ball to Gronkowski because his attempt to Julian Edelman failed, and the ball was tipped in the air and picked off by Bradley Roby, sending the Denver Broncos to the Super Bowl.
Still, it was Gronkowski and his utter physical dominance that kept the Patriots in this game in the first place with two clutch plays on 4th down late in the fourth quarter.