I want to preface this comment by admitting it's hard to understate what a loss Gronk is and what he brings in terms of talent and scheming capability. I wish the big guy a successful and speedy recovery.
That said, this team offensively is in a better position to withstand the blow than any other year Gronk's gone down.
1. Bennett: Our TE2, while hobbled, is a playmaker himself, and the most solid we've had since the Murderer.
2. Hogan and Mitchell: Our relative depth in 2013 was Collie and Thompkins (injured?). Hogan looks to provide a legitimate deep threat, and has a knack for getting wide open. Mitchell has looked superb the past two games and if his development continues he seems to have the ability to be a legitimate outside receiver.
3. JE and DA: JE seems to have taken a step back this year, although it's hard to determine if it is to some extent too many mouths to feed versus prior years when we were thin. Still the top receiver though. DA is a valuable WR3/4 as while he sometimes lacks the ability to get separation, he's incredibly clutch when he does. The last time Gronk went down he was playing with a DETACHED MUSCLE.
4.Lewis and White: To me, White and Vareen are pretty comparable. Lewis at 100% is a legitimate gamechanger with his elusiveness and scheming opportunities.
5. Blount: Looks more explosive to me than any other year, a legitimate upper-tier running back in the league. His lack of playmaking ability downfield on passing downs is his only realy drawback.
I'm not trying to be overly optimistic here, the loss of Gronk hurts. A lot. Just wanted to highlight what others have been saying, that we have far more talent on the offensive side of the football than in previous years, and our O-line thus far has been performing better than last year.
Lastly, who would you argue has a better team than us or stacks up better against us? There are no world-beaters in the NFL right now with no flaws.
In the AFC, only the AFC West poses any real threat (will give props to Baltimore who always seem to outperform their capabilities when playing us). If we have HFA, I'm confident we can beat any of those teams. I'm not afraid of KC. Oakland looks legit this year but has a questionable secondary and is untested in the playoff setting. Denver will definitely be a challenge but their defense, while still excellent, is not quite what it was last year. Also, they've finally begun losing the really close games that they would always win last year.
If we have to go on the road it will definitely be tougher, but I would still have the Patriots as favourites in any match up.
As for the NFC, obviously Dallas appears to be all-world right now, but again they (and Dak) are untested in a playoff atmosphere). Their secondary is questionable as well. I hate to think how toxic this board would be if we had GB's defense right now. Who else is there? Atlanta? Giants?
I guess my point is, I get that it's hard to win in the NFL, and winning the Superbowl means winning 3-4 games in a row against some really good teams. But that said, is there any team you would have as a favourite against us, even without Gronk? I just don't see it.
