Photo: Charles Krupa/ AP

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski’s injury in Week 10's game against the Seahawks was more than the reported punctured lung. According to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News, Gronkowski needs back surgery and will be out for a while.



If true, this means that Gronk played with a ruptured disk in last Sunday’s game against the Jets. (He had two targets but no catches.)

As good as Martellus Bennett has been, he’s not Gronkowski. In the past, the Patriots have figured out ways to put together drives without their enormous pass-catcher drawing the majority of the defense’s attention, and they’ll have to improvise once again, possibly for the rest of this season.

Update, 9:28 p.m. EST: The Patriots have released the following (bleak) statement: