New England Patriots could be without Rob Gronkowski Week 14
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski could miss next week’s game because of a cheap shot that was taken during the game against the Buffalo Bills.
The New England Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills in Week 13 with ease, defeating their AFC East rivals 23-3. The Patriots are riding an eight-game winning streak and could wrap up the AFC East title next week against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night football.
The Patriots have overcome a number of injuries to get into the position they are. Their defense has been decimated virtually all season, while the offense has missed multiple key players as well. Next week against the Dolphins, the Patriots very well could be without another key piece in tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Gronkowski was dominant against the Bills. While the passing game wasn’t overly productive against the Bills, Gronkowski had a great game.
More than half of Tom Brady‘s 258 passing yards came courtesy of Gronkowski. The All-Pro tight end caught nine of his 11 targets for 147 yards. The Bills had no answer for Gronkowski, but his performance was overshadowed by what happened near the end of the game in the fourth quarter.
With under five minutes remaining, Brady threw an interception to Tre’Davious White that was intended for Gronkowski. White was jostling with Gronkowski but was not called for a penalty. After making the interception, White was touched down by wide receiver Phillip Dorsett. After that, all hell broke loose.
After the play, Gronkowski launched himself at White, who was laying on the ground. He was flagged for unnecessary roughness along with Danny Amendola and Micah Hyde. All of those penalties were offset, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Jerry Hughes was enforced for his actions towards a referee between plays.
This was a blatant cheap shot by Gronkowski, which caused an injury to White. White has been placed in the league’s concussion protocol. It was surprising to not see Gronkowski ejected from the game, and it was a play the Bills did not appreciate.
A number of Bills voiced their displeasure with the play following the game. One of the players was Hyde, who was also flagged as a part of the fracas.
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"“That’s a dirty play, man,” Hyde said. “That’s not cool. It’s amazing to me that you don’t get ejected for something like that. It’s crazy. He obviously saw him on the ground. It’s like a wrestling move. I don’t know — elbow, shoulder — I don’t know what it was. I saw on the replay it was just a dirty play, man. That’s something the NFL talks about all the time about not wanting. If the refs didn’t see it live, they had a good chance to see it on the replay. Just a dirty play.“Just touch him. Put your foot on him. Tackle him. You don’t need to drive your shoulder or elbow into him. That wasn’t cool. Obviously the game was already — it was a pretty big margin at that time. There was just no need for that in the game we play.”"
It was visibly evident that Gronkowski was frustrated with the play. He was called for a ticky-tack offensive pass interference early in the second half and his frustration was mounting. Despite that, his actions towards White were uncalled for.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott said was not happy and that there is no place in the game for that. Offensive lineman Richie Incognito, who has had his own run-ins with the NFL, believes Gronkowski will be hearing from the league office.
Next: Patriots vs Bills Recap and Highlights
It would not be surprising if Gronkowski is suspended for next week’s game against the Dolphins. The play was uncalled for and unnecessary. The fact White was injured makes the situation even worse.