For the second year in a row, the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots will collide in the AFC Championship game to determine who goes to the Super Bowl--but both teams may have to do it without some key players.
Star New England tight end Rob Gronkowski won't be around for the big game next Sunday (6:30 p.m. EST - CBS), opting to undergo surgery to repair a broken forearm he suffered this weekend, while reports are surfacing that Baltimore running back Bernard Pierce tweaked his knee during the Ravens' thrilling double-overtime upset of Denver Saturday.
Gronkowski's season ended on Sunday when he broke his left forearm in New England's 41-28 drubbing of the Houston Texans during the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Foxboro, Mass.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick held a conference call with reporters to announce Gronkowski's plans, according to the league's website. Sunday's game re-aggravated a previous break in Gronkowski's forearm that he sustained against Indianapolis on Nov. 18.
There is some speculation as to whether Gronkowski, a critical part of the team's offense, was even healthy enough to play against Houston. NFL.com reported Sunday that Gronkowski told friends last week he wasn't comfortable with the status of his forearm heading into the game; however, Belichick said Sunday that Gronkowski wouldn't have participated if he wasn't healthy.
The absence of the big and speedy Gronkowski could be a problem, leaving star New England quarterback Tom Brady without one of his biggest weapons going up against a Baltimore team whose defense has been peaking and is running high on emotion, motivated by Ravens great Ray Lewis' pending retirement after the playoffs and their incredible 38-35 win in double overtime against Peyton Manning and the heavily favored Broncos on Saturday.
However, the Ravens could be playing with a disadvantage, as well.
Pierce, who rushed for 532 yards this season, reportedly tweaked his knee Saturday after rusing for 14 yards on five carries against Denver. Pierce, who practiced for limited minutes in the week before the game, left the filed after his knee began flaring up.
If Pierce is unable to make it, that means Ray Rice, Baltimore's leading rusher who ran for 1,143 yards and nine touchdowns on 257 carries this season, will have a longer day ahead of him. That doesn't bode well, as New England is among the top 10 teams in the NFL when it comes to stopping the rush.
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