The Pittsburgh Steelers genuinely believe that Rob Gronkowski is going to be a problem this Sunday because the hulking New England Patriots tight end has always been a big thorn in their side. If one needs a little bit of a refresher here, do know this: in five games against the Steelers, Gronkowski has managed to rack up 496 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 30 receptions.
The Steelers are bracing for a Gronk impact in Week 15, and one way they are planning to negate or at least limit the tight end’s production is by ganging up on him, according to Pittsburgh safety Mike Mitchell said, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
“We've got several guys we're going to try to throw (at him),” Mitchell said. “It's going to require coaches calling the right calls, it's going be us executing everything they call to a T. There's no real one real answer.”
The Patriots have one of the most prolific offenses in the league, and are in fact tops in the NFL in passing yards with 287.2 per game. Gronkowski is a big part of the Pats’ air attack, as he leads the team in receptions (55) and receiving touchdowns (7), and is second in receiving yards (849), so if the Steelers could slow him down, it’s going to increase their chances of winning.
The Steelers arguably are the best this season in defending against opposing tight ends, and there’s no better way to test how good they really are in that department than go up against the best tight end out there in Gronkowski. According to Football Outsiders, the Steelers are No. 1 in DVOA against tight ends through the first 14 weeks of this season.
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