New England Patriots to be without Rob Gronkowski vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New England Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski will not play tonight against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The New England Patriots are facing a tough test tonight on Thursday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers are coming off a hard-fought victory over the New York Giants in Week 4, while the Patriots are limping into tonight’s matchup after losing their last game to the Carolina Panthers.
Playing on a short week is difficult enough when things are clicking. The Patriots are not clicking right now, making tonight an already tough task. It got tougher with the most recent news regarding star tight end, Rob Gronkowski.
Gronkowski popped up on the injury report with a thigh issue on Wednesday. He was able to travel to Tampa Bay with the team, which is always a good sign. However, things took a turn for the worst in recent hours.
It was expected that Gronkowski would be active, but be limited on the field. More than likely, the Patriots would use him as a decoy. That is no longer the case, as Gronkowski will no longer be playing in the game.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport shared the news on his Twitter account.
#Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski, who is dealing with a thigh issue, was expected to be limited tonight. Now, he won’t play. Rough news.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 5, 2017
This is a huge blow for a Patriots team that could really use a victory tonight. With Gronkowski out, the Patriots offense looks a whole lot different.
At tight end, the Patriots will be starting Dwayne Allen, whom they acquired via trade from the Indianapolis Colts this offseason. Undrafted free agent, Jacob Hollister, will also be involved in the gameplan to help replace Gronkowski.
With Gronkowski sidelined, the Patriots gameplan offensively will have to change. While Allen and Hollister will see the field more, they may not necessarily be taking Gronkowski’s targets. Expect Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola, James White and possibly even Dion Lewis to get more involved in the passing game with Gronkowski sidelined.
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While not having Gronkowski for tonight’s game is disappointing, he will be provided plenty of time to heal up for their game in Week 6. The Patriots will have 10 days until their next game, as they will be paying a visit to the New York Jets on October 15th. That could be the next time we see Gronkowski take the field as long as his injury isn’t very serious.