The Patriots are scrambling to find replacements after star tight end Rob Gronkowski went down with a season-ending ACL and MCL injury during the team's 27-26 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

Quarterback Tom Brady has seen plenty of his receivers and tight ends go down with injury, so this is not exactly a surprise to him. Brady knows the Patriots will have to work harder to make up for Gronkowski's role but it is not impossible.

"Yeah, it hurts to see any of those guys go down, certainly, with Gronk," Brady said. "We've sustained some pretty big injuries this year with really important, critical players, so we've got to just keep bouncing back. I always say no one feels sorry for the Patriots. I think we all feel sorry for Rob. But I don't think anyone feels sorry for the Patriots. We're with him. We support him."

Browns Safety T.J. Ward injured Gronkowski by hitting him low in an attempt to avoid a penalty for a dangerous hit.

"My intention is never to hurt anyone," Ward said. "That's not what this game is about. That's not how I play. I hate to see guys go down with any type of injury and I just wanted him to know, whether he accepted it or not, it wasn't an intentional hit to injure him. But we have to play this game, we have to play it the way that they force us to, and unfortunately, we incurred an injury for him."

Despite the injury to Gronkowski, the Patriots still found a way to come out on top and maintain the key first round bye in the AFC. The Pats are 10-3 while the top seeded Broncos are currently 11-2 as the teams inch closer to the playoffs. The Broncos, Saints, and Colts have clinched playoff spots so far in the NFL.