Report: Rob Gronkowski Expected To Miss Game Vs. Jets Due To Injury
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots are preparing to take the field on Sunday for the second straight week without having the services of Rob Gronkowski.
ESPN's Dianna Russini reported Wednesday that the team is expecting Gronkowski to miss Sunday afternoon's game at the New York Jets.
Rob Gronkowski is not expected to play this Sunday against the Jets. The Patriots staff is prepping the offense without him per sources
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) November 23, 2016
Gronkowski suffered an injury in Week 10 vs. the Seahawks, when Earl Thomas delivered a hard hit to the tight end's chest in the middle of the field. An initial report said that Gronkowski suffered a punctured lung, a second report said that it was just a "chest injury" with no lung puncture.
While the specifics remain somewhat cloudy, it appears as though the injury was serious enough to shelve Gronkowski for another week.
If Gronkowski indeed does not play Sunday, it will be his fourth missed game of the year. He missed the first two games of the season with a lingering hamstring injury suffered during the summer. The team has gone 3-0 when he hasn't played, beating the Cardinals, Dolphins and 49ers. Gronkowski missed time due to injury in 2012 and 2013, but he played in 15 games in each of the two seasons prior to this one.
On the season, Gronkwoski has caught 25 passes for 540 yards, which still leads the team, and he's grabbed three touchdowns.