Gronkowski caught his first touchdown of the 2011 season on a 10-yard pass from Tom Brady in the Patriots' Week 1 38–24 victory over the Miami Dolphins; Gronkowski's six catches accounted for 86 of Brady's franchise record 517 yards.
In Week 2, against the San Diego Chargers, he had four receptions for 86 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 35–21 victory.
He followed that up with seven receptions for 109 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 34–31 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Over the next four games, he totaled 19 receptions for 214 receiving yards in a 3–1 stretch for the Patriots. In Week 9, against the New York Giants, he had eight receptions for 101 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 24–20 loss.
In Week 10, against the New York Jets, he had eight receptions for 113 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 37–16 victory.
In Week 11, against the Kansas City Chiefs, Gronkowski caught two touchdown passes, including a career-long 52-yard catch and run, to equal his 2010 touchdown total in just ten games.
He passed his reception and yardage totals from 2010 in only eight games.
Through Week 11, Gronkowski led all tight ends with 10 touchdowns; his 20 touchdowns were the most ever for a tight end in his first two seasons.
His reception and receiving yardage totals both ranked second among tight ends and in the top ten among all receivers, though they only ranked second on the Patriots, behind wide receiver Wes Welker