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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski comes up big against the Steelers again | TribLIVE.com
Steelers/NFL

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski comes up big against the Steelers again

Chris Harlan
Chris Harlan

Rob Gronkowski postgame press conference

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski's postgame press conference after a 27-24 victory over the Steelers at Heinz Field.

Rob Gronkowski wasn't always open on the winning drive, but Tom Brady always liked his chances.

So five times in a row, Brady threw to Gronk.

"I have so much trust in him. It may look like 50/50," said Brady, calculating the odds that his tight end will make a catch, "but it might be 95/5."

In the final two minutes Sunday, the odds felt against the Steelers.

After a first-down incompletion, Brady and Gronkowksi connected on three consecutive snaps for gains of 26, 26 and 17 yards, pushing the Patriots 69 yards in 53 seconds. The drive led to an 8-yard touchdown run by Dion Lewis, the winning score with 1 minute left in a 27-24 victory at Heinz Field.

After Lewis' touchdown, Gronk and Brady combined for a 2-point conversion pass. The four-catch romp, part of his self-described emotional roller coaster finish, had Gronkowski flexing on the field.

"I love getting in that zone," he said. "It feels good. I wish I could be like that 24/7, every week and every day."

He seems to feel that way often against the Steelers. Gronkowski finished with nine catches for 168 yards in another enormous effort against his almost-hometown team.

"He was doing it himself," said Brady, who targeted Gronkowski 13 times. "I think they were trying to challenge us. He makes a lot of good plays. Other guys make good plays, too, but if he's open, he gets it."

Gronkowski was suspended last week, a one-game punishment for a late hit against the Buffalo Bills. Brady was excited to have him back. In six career games against the Steelers, Gronkowski has 39 catches for 664 yards and eight touchdowns.

"Even when Rob is covered, he's open because he is so long, and he has such great range and reach," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "If you can put the ball away from the player who's covering him even though he's close, Rob can get it, and the other guy can't."

Said Gronkowski: "You're not just going to be open. It's the NFL. You have to make tough catches. When the ball is in the air, I just try to do my best to make a play. ... You're not going to come down with them all, but you are going to try your hardest."

Gronkowski, who attended nearby Woodland Hills for his senior year of high school, admitted Sunday that trips to Heinz Field are "fun."

The Steelers tried Sunday to cover Gronkowski with strong safety Sean Davis, who is listed five inches shorter than the 6-foot-6, 265-pounder. Gronkowski had just two catches and 33 yards in the first half but dominated late in the fourth quarter.

"It was a battle the whole game," Davis said. "We just couldn't get right the last drive, man."

"He's the best tight end in the league, give him credit for that," said Steelers cornerback Artie Burns, who was flagged for pass interference against him earlier in the fourth quarter, "but we've still got to make plays."

With 2:06 left, the Patriots trailed 24-19, and they were 77 yards from the end zone.

Brady's two-minute drill started with an incomplete pass aimed at Gronkowski, but then came two deep completions down the middle and a shoe-string catch near the right hash marks.

"He just kept getting free," Brady said. "He did a really good job separating and making the catches. I gave him some chances on some one-on-one throws."

But then Brady and Gronkowski watched helplessly from the sideline as Steelers wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster sprinted downfield for a 69-yard completion in the final minute. Then tight end Jesse James scored with 34 seconds left but had his touchdown overturned by replay.

"The emotions were up and down on that last defensive drive, I can tell you that," Gronkowski said. "On that big catch and run, it was like a roller coaster. Then the first and second down in the red zone. You're down, and then you're up, and then you're up again."

Then last hill came on third down, when Ben Roethisberger faked a spike and threw an interception.

"You're down because you think he catches it," Gronkowski said, "but then the ball pops up in and the air and you are like, 'Ooooh!' and then we intercept it.

"The ride ended very well."

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.


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Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review
The Patriots' Rob Gronkowski pulls in a 2-point conversion against the Steelers in the fourth quarter Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017, at Heinz Field.