Jaguars safety Barry Church hit Gronkowski with a helmet-to-helmet shot with 1:28 left in the second quarter, as Tom Brady tried to find Gronk deep down the right seam as the Jaguars led at the time, 14-3.
Church was flagged for unnecessary roughness on the play, and Gronkowski walked off the field slowly — and with assistance. The Patriots would go on to score a touchdown on the drive when Gronkowski left the game, cutting the lead to 14-10, which was the halftime score.
Gronkowski never emerged from the locker room in the second half after he was listed as questionable to return, entered into the concussion protocol.