Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski Introduces Himself To Pittsburgh Steelers And America

Rob Grownkowski caught three touchdowns in Sunday night’s Patriots-Steelers game, becoming the first rookie tight end in over 20 years to score three times in one game. ... Wait, who is this guy again?

His name is Rob Gronkowski, America. G-R-O-N-K-O-W-S-K-I.

And continuing a quietly stellar rookie year for New England, Gronkowski finally punctuated his arrival in the NFL on Sunday night. Against the best team the Patriots have faced all year long, on national TV, Gronkowski delivered. As SB Nation’s Pats Pulpit gushed in their post-game recap, “[We] can’t possibly talk about the offense without the performance of Rob Gronkowski.”

Five catches, 72 yards, and three touchdowns. But just as important as his breakout Sunday night, he’s become the go-to guy in the red zone for Tom Brady, giving the Patriots offense an extra punch when they approach the endzone. And where much of Pittsburgh’s issues on Sunday stemmed from an inability to close out possessions in the red zone, the Patriots dazzled everyone with a whopping 39-points against one of the best defenses in the league.

What’s the difference between Pittsburgh’s failure and New England’s success? You could point to any number of factors to explain it, but first and foremost, Pittsburgh didn’t have anyone around to punch in touchdowns from inside the 20. And all year long, especially last night, New England has had someone that can.

He’s a rookie, and you probably haven’t heard of him, but you might as well get used to spelling that odd, Polish name. It’s G-R-O-N-K-O-W-S-K-I, and it looks like he could be around for a while.