New England Patriots: Injury news and practice update
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski returned to practice, while quarterback Tom Brady missed practice.
The New England Patriots picked up a hard-fought victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football in Week 5. Now, their attention is being turned to the surprising 3-2 New York Jets.
Emotions are always amped up for divisional rivalry games, especially when both teams are playing well. The Jets are playing some good football right now, as they are riding a three-game winning streak.
The Patriots have owned the Jets and the AFC East for over a decade, but the Jets will be looking to change that this week. The Jets came into the season predicted to be one of the worst teams in the NFL; that has not proven to be the case. The Patriots will have to be prepared and ready to play against a Jets team looking for a marquee victory.
One positive for the Patriots heading into the game against the Jets is the status of tight end Rob Gronkowski. Gronkowski popped up on the injury report last Wednesday after practice. He made the trip to Tampa Bay, but was unable to suit up for the game as he was announced out just hours before kickoff.
The severity of the injury was unknown; it is difficult to tell on a short week. However, it seems that it may not have been too serious. Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston shared a photo of Gronkowski stretching with his teammates and present at the beginning of practice.
Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski, shown lunging as part of warmups, is present for the start of today’s practice. pic.twitter.com/pRE9P1QPzr
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 10, 2017
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This is a great sign for Gronkowski’s status this weekend. The 10 days between games looks like it will be enough for him to recover from his injury and return to the field.
While the Patriots received positive news on Gronkowski, the news wasn’t as great for quarterback Tom Brady. Brady was not present at the beginning of practice, as he was banged around by the Buccaneers on Thursday.
Brady didn’t sound too worried about it, but he is dealing with an injury. According to Mike Giardi of NBCSportsBoston, Brady injured his shoulder against the Carolina Panthers and re-aggravated it against the Buccaneers.
Tom Brady injured his left shoulder vs Carolina and re-aggravated said injury in Tampa. More coming shortly on @NBCSBoston
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) October 10, 2017
The injury has been confirmed as an AC Joint sprain in the left shoulder. The only positive about that is that it is to Brady’s non-throwing shoulder. However, it is an injury the Patriots will have to monitor. They do not want Brady to miss time, but the 40-year old has been hit hard this season as he has already absorbed as many sacks in six games as he did in 12 last season.
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The good news is that the MRI Brady took came back negative. He expects to practice later in the week and eventually play against the Jets, which is great news for the Patriots.