FOXBOROUGH, MA (The Spread) – Despite initial claims that he wouldn’t need surgery, a report by the Boston Herald states that Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski did have his injured ankle repaired.
The injury hampered Gronkowski in the Super Bowl, when he had just two catches for 26 yards in the 21-17 loss to the New York Giants in Indianapolis. His recovery schedule will last 10-12 weeks.
Gronkowski suffered a high-ankle sprain in the AFC Championship game against the Ravens at home, a 23-20 victory. A 2010 second-round pick out of Arizona, Gronkowski had 90 catches for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns this season.
View Latest 2013 Super Bowl Odds
The Patriots lost to the Giants for the third straight time and have failed to cover the spread over that span as well. New England lost 17-14 as a 12.5-point favorite versus New York in the 2008 Super Bowl and then fell to the Giants again in the 2011 regular season 24-20 as a 9-point favorite. Their 21-17 loss the Giants in last weekend’s Super Bowl once again came when the Patriots were a favorite (-3).
According to oddsmakers the Patriots have opened with 7/1 odds to win the 2013 Super Bowl and are 3/1 favorites to repeat as AFC champions.
Want More From TheSpread.com? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook or Subscribe to Our News Feeds!