Rob Gronkowski’s first quarter touchdown against the Jets was everything

Tom Brady connected with Rob Gronkowski for a touchdown pass in the first quarter on Sunday, and it was arguably the most beautiful work of art I’ve seen from the Patriots this entire season.

Coming off of the bye week, which was preceded by a humiliating blowout loss in Tennessee, the Patriots were obviously looking for a bounce back victory. They needed it, as a matter of fact.

Who better to bounce back against than the Jets at the Meadowlands?

The Patriots came through, winning the game 27-13, and they even covered the 10-point spread that I stupidly predicted they wouldn’t cover. Although there were a handful of celebratory moments in the game — including Sony Michel’s fourth quarter touchdown after he left the game earlier — no part was more incredible, gorgeous, and just purely blissful than Gronkowski’s touchdown.

One of the reasons I felt this way about it was because it was Gronk’s first touchdown reception since Week 1 against the Texans. It’s hard to wrap the old noggin around that fact. How is it that 11 weeks have passed since Gronk’s last touchdown? That’s just the kind of year it’s been for the guy who is supposed to be the NFL’s best tight end.

It’s definitely been an up-and-down season, but when Gronkowski hauled this baby in for New England’s first score of the game, everything was alright in the world once again.

On third-and-12, Brady slung the ball all the way to the end zone in the most graceful, Brady-esque fashion imaginable, and Gronkowski snagged it out of the air as he tumbled right into the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown. There have been a lot of great connections between Brady and Gronkowski over the years, but this one was an all-timer.

In 20 years when they make Brady-Gronk career highlight reel, this touchdown will definitely be near the top (unless Brady is still playing then, which you never know).

It’s been a tough year for Gronkowski, who has dealt with injuries (shocking) and hasn’t been near as dominant as he’s been in years past. But this touchdown was special, and hopefully we see a few more of these before season’s end.