The?New England Patriots?placed tight end Rob Gronkowski on injured reserve Saturday, ending his season, the team announced.Gronkowski underwent back surgery in Los Angeles on Friday, posting on social media that the surgery was successful and he was starting rehab. The Patriots had said they didnt expect Gronkowski to return this season but were waiting until after the procedure to make a final decision.Gronkowskis injury was traced to the big hit he absorbed from Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas on Nov. 13.He finishes the season with 25 catches for 540 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. He had missed time earlier in the season with a hamstring injury and bruised lung, and he left last weeks game against the New York Jets in the first half with what was described as a herniated disk in his back.The injury leaves the Patriots with tight ends Martellus Bennett and Matt Lengel on the active roster.It doesnt help losing great players, and to not have Gronk out there -- one of our best players and one of our most dependable, consistent players -- makes things challenging for us, quarterback Tom Brady told Westwood One Radio on Thursday night. But thats what the NFL season is about. Its about overcoming challenges, adversities.This was Gronkowskis third back surgery. He has had two previous surgeries to repair herniated disks in his back -- in 2009, when he was at the University of Arizona and missed the entire season, and in 2013, his fourth season with the Patriots, when he underwent surgery in June and didnt return until Week 7.He has undergone eight surgeries overall as an NFL player.This season, Gronkowski returned to action Sunday after missing the teams game against the San Francisco 49ers the week before because of a chest injury.The Patriots used their injured reserve/return designation on quarterback Jacoby Brissett on Wednesday, so the team is not able to activate Gronkowski off injured reserve if it makes a deep playoff run. Each team is allowed to designate only one player to return.Running back D.J. Foster was brought up from the practice squad to take Gronkowskis spot on the 53-man roster.The Associated Press contributed to this report. Fake NFL Jerseys . 1 position. 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WACO, Texas -- No. 11 Baylor and Kansas were on opposite ends of near upsets in their last games.Those outcomes were indicative of why the Bears are trying to get to 6-0 for the fourth straight season, and the Jayhawks are still trying to get out of the Big 12 cellar while serving as Homecoming opponents their next two road games -- the first being Saturday on the banks of the Brazos River against Baylor.Before having last weekend off, the Bears (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) needed a 17-point comeback in the fourth quarter at Iowa State. Their only lead in a 45-42 win came when Chris Callahan kicked a 19-yard field goal on the final play of the game, an outcome that certainly got their attention.You have to bring your `A game every game, quarterback Seth Russell said. And I feel like as long as we can focus on what we can do and execute at a high level, we can win ballgames.Kansas (1-4, 0-2) was oh-so-close to what could have been a season-boosting upset of TCU. The Jayhawks had a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter before missing three field goal attempts, the last in the final seconds of a 24-23 loss after the Frogs had kicked a go-ahead field goal. That stretched Kansas conference losing streak to 14 games.Coming off the game from last week, obviously our guys are anxious to get back out there and get another shot at it, second-year Jayhawks coach David Beaty said.Watching that game, theyre going to come with some fire. But I hope they watched our game, Bears senior cornerback Ryan Reid said. Thats not us, were going to come back and were going to (be) Baylor, definitely, at home.Some other things to know when Kansas makes its third consecutive trip to Waco as the Bears opponent for Homecoming. Baylor won 60-14 two years ago in its first season at McLane Stadium, and won 41-14 in 2012.SHOCK FACTORThis has been an up-and-down season for senior running Shock Linwood, who became Baylors career rushing leader Sept. 16 at Rice, then had only two carries for 4 yards the next week. But he is coming off a 237-yard performance against Iowa State in the last game, when he had 25 carries and his first touchdown of the season.dddddddddddd On the sideline after the second quarter, I went over to him and said, `This is the Shock I remember. And he kind of laughed at me a little bit, Russell said.CENTURY SIMSJayhawks sophomore Steven Sims Jr . had nine catches for 101 yards against TCU, his third 100-yard receiving game this season. That is already the most by a Kansas player since 2009, when Dezmon Briscoe had seven and Kerry Meier five.BEHIND THE LINEKansas is fourth among FBS teams this season with 9.6 tackles for loss per game, which is currently on pace to break the school record (9.4 per game in 2016). Their 48 total is only 10 shy of what they had all last season. After last year, our whole staff, we take it personal where we finish in specific areas because your stats are who you are. You cant run from them, Beaty said, crediting defensive coordinator Clint Bowen and his staff for the improvement. He was extremely motivated because, man, he puts better teams out there than that routinely.TAKING THE FOURTHBaylor hasnt allowed a point in the fourth quarter this season, outscoring opponents 45-0 in the final 15 minutes. I think its reflective of a team that knows how to finish, said acting head coach Jim Grobe, adding that the Bears are a well-conditioned team. Kansas has scored only 14 points in the fourth quarter this season, and that was on two touchdowns in the season-opening 55-6 win over Rhode Island.OPEN GAME OPENAfter the Kansas game, the Bears have an open date -- their second one in three weeks. Baylor is coming off an open date last week. The Bears will play six consecutive weeks after that to end the regular season, with only two of those games at home.---Online:College Football: http://collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '