Hours after the Patriots' undefeated season came to an end, the extent of Rob Gronkowski's knee injury remains unknown.
What's not: The Pats will need Scott Chandler going forward.
"We're going to need to rely on him quite a bit," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said late Sunday. "So I think one way or another he's going to have to be a major contributor for our team. And we'll see how it goes going forward."
Chandler was targeted a team-high 11 times Sunday. He pulled in five grabs for 58 yards, 32 of which came on the final drive of regulation. He scored an early touchdown, but committed a pair of drops, too. The 6-foot-7 tight end hasn't been as heavily involved in the Pats offense as many expected. His 11 targets Sunday nearly matched his total from the previous five games. Against the Jets, Dolphins, Redskins, Giants and Bills, he was targeted only 12 times, the story said. Gronk's knee injury may not be as serious as first thought, but with Pat receivers getting hurt every week, Chandler certainly has a chance to at least but a useful, short-term pickup.
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