Rob Gronkowski: 'Carolina Panthers beat us straight up'

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has refused to blame the officials for his side's 24-20 loss to the Carolina Panthers last night.

The match ended in some confusion as a penalty flag against the Panthers was overruled, handing the home side the win when it looked like the Patriots would have one last chance from the one-yard line.

The flag was initially thrown for pass interference on Gronkowski, but the 24-year-old insists that they cannot use the incident as an excuse for their defeat.

"It just wasn't completed, and there was no flag. There was a flag, but it got called back. I don't even know why they threw it, and there's just no excuse. I'm not trying to be here to make excuses; [the Panthers are] a good football team, they scored more points than us and they beat us straight up," ESPN quotes Gronkowski as saying.

"It is how it is now, and they took the call back and can't do anything about it. And that's not when the game is [won] and [lost]. They're a very good team; they played tough all four quarters."

Despite the defeat, the Patriots remain top of the AFC East with a 7-3 record, two wins clear of the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins.