Patriots' Gronkowski out for season

The New England Patriots will have to march forward to the AFC Championship Game without the services of their Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski, who suffered a broken arm in the Patriots 41-28 win over Houston.

New England quarterback Tom Brady lost an important target when tight end Rob Gronkowski broke his left forearm in the first quarter of the Patriots 41-28 playoff win against the Houston Texans. It is the same arm that Gronkowski broke in a week 11 win versus the Indianapolis Colts that resulted in the Pro Bowl tight end missing 5 games, and the latest setback means that Gronkowski's season is over with surgery on the horizon according to a report on Yahoo Sports. Gronkowsk was a second round draft choice out of Arizona for the Patriots in 2010, and has made the Pro Bowl in both 2011 and 2012. In 11 games this season he amassed 55 catches good for 790 yards and was the team leader with 11 touchdowns. Perhaps most importantly, Tom Brady will lose his favorite target in the red zone. In Gronkowski's absence, wide receivers Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd and tight end Aaron Hernandez who collectively have 237 receptions for over 2,700 yards this season are expected to become even more prolific in the Patriots offense against the Baltimore Ravens next week.