How do Patriots overcome losing Gronk?

The New England Patriots are undoubtedly a juggernaut with the man who resembles the Marvel character in their lineup. But with star tight end Rob Gronkowski scheduled to undergo back surgery, an injury that is expected to sideline him until deep into the playoffs, the Patriots are suddenly vulnerable.

Previously assumed a lock to at least appear in the AFC Championship Game, New England has to change course if it's going to make good on the promise of its strong season. Luckily, the Patriots have the rudders necessary to do just that.

With mastermind Bill Belichick at the helm and the ageless Tom Brady manning the controls, the Patriots are never out of ammo. This season in particular, though, the Patriots have made use of an even deeper collection of weapons to climb to their current status - shared owners of the best record in the conference. It's that talent pool, their years of playoff experience, and the direction of Belichick and his staff that the Pats will have to rely on to overcome the loss of Gronk.

Let's first dive into that talent pool. The Patriots have made do without Gronkowski for five of their 11 games this year, every one of them victories. Gronk missed the first three weeks of the year - all wins - and has been sidelined the last two weeks - also Ws. The All-Pro tight end is a weapon like no other, but he has contributed just 25 catches this season for a team with a 9-2 record.

The Patriots made it appear as though they were working on a contingency plan all along. They incorporated new talent in wide receivers Chris Hogan and Malcolm Mitchell, acquired a tight end worthy of a starting role in Martellus Bennett in the offseason, and leaned heavily on a running game led by LeGarrette Blount and supported by James White and the now-healthy Dion Lewis.

Brady required other options at wideout besides No. 1 receiver Julian Edelman and Hogan's been a pleasant surprise this season, hauling in 461 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Rookie receiver Malcolm Mitchell's contributions have been even more eyebrow-raising: With Gronkowski out most of the last two games, the diminutive pass-catcher totaled 98 yards and a touchdown in Week 11 and 42 yards and two scores in Week 12.

With Gronk - and Brady - missing from the lineup at various points in the season, the Patriots have thrown the ball 371 times. That ranks 28th in the league in pass attempts, but they rate sixth in the league in passing with an average of 270 yards per game. When they do turn to the passing game, it's been the most efficient in the league.

Even the absence of the threat of Gronkowski changes things, though. The team averages 9.1 yards per pass play with the behemoth on the field and just 6.4 without him, according to NESN's Doug Kyed, but the next tight end up, Bennett, has been there when needed.

Then there's the running game.

The Patriots may be ranked sixth in total offense and sixth in passing, but they're also the seventh-best running team.

Blount has powered the ground game with 869 yards and 12 touchdowns through 11 contests, and by finding a comfortable ratio between pass and run (371 to 319 attempts), New England has struck a balance envied across the league.

Those ground strikes will become even more diverse when White's usage as both a rusher and pass-catcher grows down the stretch and Lewis - fresh off IR - is reincorporated into the offense.

Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will make the necessary adjustments to assure the offense remains unpredictable. The team did reach the conference title game with Gronkowski on the shelf in 2013, after all. Decades of playoff experience will serve the Patriots well if they face teams with much shallower postseason credentials, such as the Raiders, Chiefs, Dolphins, and whoever comes out of the AFC South.

The weapons at Brady's disposal rival a Swiss Army knife in versatility. Of course the Patriots are better with Gronkowski, but they remain dynamic without him.