FOXBOROUGH — Rob Gronkowski wasn’t going to get denied from reaching the end zone.
No, not after making the type of catch that belongs in a video game rather than in real life.
On first and 10 from the Denver 21-yard line, Gronkowski turned back over his left shoulder and reeled in a ridiculous one-handed catch despite T.J. Ward trying his best to dislodge it from the Patriots tight end.
Gronkowski was ruled down at the 1-yard line, a call that was upheld after Bill Belichick challenged the ruling that Gronkowski was down by contact.
On the next play, Gronkowski got the score when Tom Brady hit him on an open slant across the middle, the final touchdown in the Patriots’ 43-21 victory over the Broncos at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
“I saw it on replay. It was a pretty good catch, I’m glad I could make that play,” Gronkowski said. “It just happened, it’s just a reaction, you’re just going for the ball and when you see the ball you want to go for it, so it’s a natural reaction to go get it, and it ended up in my hands.
“[The touchdown] wasn’t planned, but [offensive coordinator] Josh [McDaniels] called it. My number was called once again, and when my number is called I’ve got to go out there, perform to the best of my ability, and make a play. Tom made a nice throw, I was open on the slant, and we got the TD.”
When Gronkowski is healthy, he makes life difficult for opposing defensive coordinators as one of the NFL’s most explosive players.
He finished with nine catches for 105 yards. Last Sunday, he hauled in nine catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns as the Patriots rumbled past the Bears.
When the Patriots’ offense is rolling like it has been, a game-changing tight end like Gronkowski is invaluable.
The Broncos have their guy in Julius Thomas, a budding star who can create similar problems for defenses. But when that option is taken away, it can be a back-breaker.
On Sunday, Thomas was targeted only two times. He didn’t get his first look until 11:11 remained in the third quarter, when Peyton Manning delivered a beautiful fade pass for an 18-yard touchdown, the ball just out of Patrick Chung’s reach.
It was the one-on-one matchup that Thomas was hungry for. “When they’re in press man, you’ve got to win that,” he said. “That’s a matchup you expect to win.”
Most of the day, it wasn’t always so easy. The Patriots mixed their coverages on Thomas with Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis, but often had Browner on the 6-foot-5-inch, 250-pound tight end.
Browner, a hulking corner at 6-4, 220, proved a formidable matchup.
“He pretty much was on me in man,” Thomas said. “I’ve been getting corners the last three weeks. But it’s just a little bit different when he has an advantage in size, but maybe not as big as an advantage of speed. You have to mix things up.”
After breaking out in 2013 with 65 catches for 788 yards and 12 touchdowns, Thomas grabbed nine touchdown passes in the Broncos’ first five games of 2014.
Entering Sunday, Thomas had just six catches for 50 yards and no scores in his last two games. The Broncos won both games, but Thomas was limited again against the Patriots, and the Denver offense suffered.
“When a team is doing a good job of mixing up coverages, and the Patriots are known to be aggressive and re-routing, it makes things muddy for the quarterback,” said Thomas. “At times, you always want to make plays and if you don’t get the target, you’ve got to find other ways to help your teams.”
For Thomas, that was providing a key block on Browner on Ronnie Hillman’s 15-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.
After the game, Manning acknowledged he needs to get Thomas more involved, recognizing the value of having a game-changing tight end.
Anthony Gulizia can be reached at agulizia@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @gulizia_a