Rob Gronkowski’s greatest hits, catches, and plays

Gronk snags beautiful one-handed catch against Denver

The Patriots won their first Super Bowl in 10 years against the Seattle Seahawks following the 2014 NFL season. That victory was especially pivotal for the franchise, because it proved that Brady and Belichick weren’t done winning championships after their early 2000s dynasty. Of course, we all know now that the Pats would follow up their victory in Super Bowl XLIX with two more championships – in Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons and then in Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams, establishing yet another dynasty in the process.

Along the way though to that fourth Lombardi, the Patriots had to get by Peyton Manning and the 6-1 Denver Broncos. The Patriots also had six wins at the time, though they also had two losses (the Broncos had already had their bye).

The first half of the game was all New England, with Brady and the Patriots leading Manning and the Broncos 27-7 at the half. In the third quarter, Denver scored 14 points to New England’s 10 to cut the deficit to 37-21.

But it was one singular play in the fourth quarter that essentially broke the spirit of the Broncos faithful that early November date in Gillette Stadium.

From Denver’s 21-yard line, Brady peeled back, pump-faked, and then rifled a laser about 25 yards down the center of the field and through four different Broncos defenders to a tightly-covered Rob Gronkowski. Somehow, against all probabilities and the laws of physics, Gronk pinpointed the ball with one hand and came down at the one-yard line.

It’s not just the fact that Gronkowski made the catch one-handed. It’s also the fact that he used his left hand, he had to outstretch his entire arm to retrieve the ball, and his left arm is the one that’s essentially part-machine with all the bracing, padding, and extra protection wrapped around it. Never mind that he also had to make the catch in the midst of four defenders, one of which was safety T.J. Ward, one of the toughest, hardest-hitting players in the NFL at the time.

Though the Patriots ended up winning the game easily by a 43-21 margin, Gronkowski’s catch stands out as either the best or the second-best catch he probably ever made (the other one we’re thinking about will come later in this article).